Night's Shadow
by Arriky
Summary: Star Wars universe and characters with inheritance cycle dragons if they were creatures of the force instead of magic. R2-D2 is carrying a dragon egg, not the death star plans (there is still a death star) and the egg hatches for Luke. And, of course, all the remaining Jedi are Jedi Riders. And all the remaining Sith...
1. Banthas

A planet lay cloaked in the light of its two suns. It was not unlike a shimmering ball of gold, though the actual composition of the planet was far less grand. A streak of blue charged towards the great celestial body with such speed that you might think it was going to crash, if you were there to see it. This planet didn't attract many ships, but today the air was filled with imperial spacecraft. Doing what, the local population did not know. But for the criminal population, one thing was obvious, if the star destroyer was any indication. They were in trouble.

The people relied on law enforcement being careless and inattentive, as it always had been. Many criminals would have fled, but the whole planet was on lock down. Civilians didn't go in or out, unless they wanted to be shot out of the sky. Only the best pilots could hope to outmaneuver a star destroyer, plus whatever else they sent out to stop you.

The ship diving for Tatooine at break-neck speeds bore the markings of a rare Jedi-class transport, a ship invented to fit the needs of dragons and their riders. The order signed by the emperor decreed that they were to be shot on sight, but Darth Vader had special permission to drive his, as it was necessary to transport his ever-growing dragon.

The controls groaned in protest as Vader's grip tightened, but if he noticed, he did not care. Dark memories swirled through his mind, making it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. He remembered his home world all to well, every detail of the last time he had been there branded into his conscious. Tatooine had always been the beginning of everything, but now it was starting to feel like the end.

The force flickered a warning around him, and he sensed the presence of one he had hoped to never face again.

But the presence hid itself quickly, nothing more than a temporary weakness in Obi-wan's mental shields.

Did you sense that? Asthordmak's question cut through the haze of anger that surrounded Vader's mind and clouded his thoughts as he fought to regain control.

I think I know where the egg is. Vader replied as the ship entered the atmosphere. He trusted the force to lead him to his destination, relying on a connection that he had tried so hard to erase.

(***)

"Oh, master Luke, we're doomed!" Threepio yelled when the group of sand people jumped out in front of them. There were four armored Banthas and their riders, along with multiple Tuskens on foot. Luke cursed, and turned around, hoping to find an escape route from the ambush.

He heard an unearthly howl that chilled him to the core; despite the blazing suns overhead. Then he saw it, the creature that was blocking the other side of the canyon was no other than the infamous Krayt dragon.

The huge lizard was creeping slowly forwards, it's scales as dull as the sand, but it's eyes a sharp point of contrast that fixed themselves upon him. It sensed his fear and bared it's large fangs. It knew that they were trapped and helpless. The dragon had three riders on it's back, Tusken raiders with spears yelling war cries in that strange language of theirs.

Luke didn't stop to marvel at their coexistence, he looked forwards for a means of escape. Ignoring Threepio's complaining he cranked his vehicle into full speed, going straight for the Tuskens in front and praying for them to move out of his way.

No such luck. His landspeeder crashed into a Bantha, throwing both him and Threepio out. Luke was slammed into the relatively soft hide of the dead Bantha, lucky that he hadn't hit an area with armor, bouncing off and landing on the ground. C3PO landed several feet away in the sand, and was immediately attacked by Tuskens who started to beat him with their gaffi sticks.

Luke was dazed as he carefully picked himself up, the world spinning around him. Then he fell back on his hands and knees, vomiting all over the sand. Everything hurt, but nothing was broken. Yet.

When he was in better control of himself, he looked up to see why the Tuskens weren't attacking, and realised that they had cleared a path for the dragon, and it was closing in fast, it's claws digging into the sand as it prepared to pounce. Luke had never before been so terrified in all his 14 years of life.

As the dragon sprang forwards, it's mouth opened, and Luke's eyes closed, he did not want to look at those horrible teeth, and he hoped for a quick death. A roar of pure fury met his ears, and he was for the second time that day thrown into the dead Bantha behind him by a great gust of air.

He heard something crack when he landed, laying on the ground for a while, stunned. He winced as he breathed in, not only from the smell of the Bantha, but also from the pain. He felt like a few of his ribs might be broken.

When his ears stopped ringing, he heard the sounds of fighting; roars and a few inhuman shrieks of agony. He opened his eyes to see a larger Krayt dragon was fighting the first- no, it was a different type of dragon. The lustrous copper scales that shown with a brilliance that no normal dragon was capable of, and it even had pale copper wings that allowed sunlight to flow through them. Where the Krayt dragon was more like an over-sized lizard the other one looked to be its own unique species, as hard as it was to observe while it fought.

It snapped at the Krayt, and attempted to gouge out it's eyes, it's size an advantage. The Krayt twisted and bit its foreleg, spilling more blood onto the sand.

A Tusken hopped in front of Luke, ripping his eyes off of the majestic battle of the two dragons, he tried to scoot backwards. The Tusken raised it's club. Before it could strike, it was sliced in half by a pale blue laser.

It's upper torso fell to the ground to reveal a man in his late twenties to early thirties wearing robes, auburn hair cut short with a beard and blue-gray eyes. He didn't give Luke a second glance, but jumped back into the fray before the rest of the dismembered Tusken even hit the ground.

The mysterious warrior stabbed and slashed all who stood in his way. There were moments when Luke had worried for him, like when backup had arrived, bringing two more Banthas and a horde of Tuskens, which immediately surrounded him. They were thrown into the air by some invisible power that Luke couldn't begin to understand. The stranger fought like a machine, he had a lot of skill, dodging the dragons and their battle, even hopping onto the Krayt's back for a moment to evade the gaffi stick thrown at him by a enraged sandperson.

The dragon wasn't doing as well. Not only was it fighting off the Krayt, it had five armored war-Banthas to deal with. It tore at the Krayt's back only to be sliced in the flank by a Bantha's steel-tipped horn.

It turned to that Bantha and released a jet of flame, spraying it and two other Banthas, and many of the Tuskens that were trying to swarm it. The well-trained Banthas ignored the flames and tried to trample the dragon, looking like demons from hell, with fur in flames and cooking in their steel armor. Surprisingly, the sturdy animals continued to fight until the last breath of air was driven from their lungs. Yes, they were quite unlike any Bantha Luke had ever seen.

The dragon snapped one of their necks, then tackled the Krayt, probably hoping to do the same to it. The Krayt tried to push it off as it tore out the Krayt's throat and breathed flame in a way that it came out of the sand creature's eye sockets. The Krayt had struggled for a moment, tearing at it's opponent's then unprotected belly, but it stopped when the stronger dragon had flamed.

Luke averted his eyes, and then saw the warrior jump high into the air, landing in front of a flaming war Bantha. It charged and tried to fight him, but he stepped out of the way and swung at it with his blue sword, cutting half it's face off.

With those disgusting images fresh in his mind, Luke buried his face in his arms and tried not to think about the noises, shutting everything out.

He looked up when someone touched his shoulder to see the same blue-gray eyes of the man who had fought the Tusken Raiders staring down at him. He shook his head and cleared his dry throat. "What just happened? Who are you... Where did the dragon go..?"

The man smiled, "Oh, this dragon?" Luke looked over to where he was gesturing, and saw the same copper dragon as before, curled up on the ground near him, staring at him with clear reddish-copper eyes that reminded him of fire. Luke nodded, backing away a little bit.

"Hey! Steady, Luke, you don't want to overexert yourself!" The man exclaimed, putting a hand on his shoulder and using himself as a physical barrier between Luke and the beast, to calm Luke down. His injuries reminded him of their existence with a sharp pain in his ribs, making him wince.

Luke took a deep breath, and wondered if he was unconscious. But it didn't feel like a dream. He wouldn't question a dream while he was in one, even the strangest. Though Luke was almost sure this nightmare would make an exception.

"You saved me." Luke said, more of a statement then a question. "You and your... the dragon, you killed them." He said in wonder and shock. There were just so many bodies... The sand around them was soaked with blood, and the smell was terrible, he did not want to stay there as they cooked in the suns.

"They come back in greater numbers if you don't kill them all," he explained. "Though I'd be surprised if they actually have greater numbers to return in." The warrior closed his eyes, and said in a whisper, "stay still." Luke did as he was told, not moving as he concentrated. He wasn't sure what the man was doing, until a blue light shot out of his hand, wrapping itself around Luke's injuries. The light was cold, but lasted only a few seconds. After that, he felt significantly better.

"What did you just do?" He demanded, having never seen or heard of Force healing. The man offered a hand to help Luke to his feet while ignoring his question. Luke reluctantly took it. "My name is Obi-wan." The stranger said.

"My name is..." Luke started to say, then paused, remembering that the man had already said it. "You already know my name. And," He added, "I don't know how you did it but you healed me. What's going on?"

"Well," Obi-wan started, "There is a lot of explaining I owe you, and not a lot of time. I healed you with the Force. I know your name because I knew your father. Great Jedi. Also I would like you to meet my dragon, Kisenth."

The dragon, Kisenth, hummed, a sound that seemed halfway between a growl and a purr. The dragon's face was oddly expressive; Luke could tell he was amused. Luke looked between Obi-wan and Kisenth, as if trying to decide which was more out of place. Or if this was good time to faint.

Obi-wan sighed, there was no time for his confusion. He should have talked to him about this earlier, but his uncle had not allowed it. "Look, I can't promise you that I will explain everything, because I doubt we will live that long. But I swear to you that I will try to give you the knowledge you need, along with a few other helpful things." He said seriously.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked. "I don't understand any of this," he said, it was the truth. However, it would be equally honest of him to say he wasn't quite taking this situation seriously. He had almost been eaten by a Krayt, and was rescued by a Jedi with a dragon. A real dragon, like the legends.

"You will understand. One day." Obi-wan said in a not-so reassuring way. "Also, I want to show you something." He gestured to Artoo, who Luke hadn't noticed before.

"Sneaky bastard." Luke muttered under his breath, almost angry at the droid for getting him in this mess in the first place. If he had not taken the restraining bolt off of the droid, he would not have had to chase after it. This whole thing was his fault.

Artoo Detoo rolled up to Luke and whistled something, sounding a little sorry. "I do not accept your apology." Luke replied stubbornly, glaring down at the droid. The droid glared back. One could say it was impossible for a droid to glare at someone, but then they would be wrong. The way Artoo was looking at Luke was proof of that.

"Show Luke your cargo." Obi-wan ordered, snapping them both out of their staring contest. Artoo beeped at him before turning to Luke his whole front opened slowly, inch by inch. Luke leaned forwards as Artoo revealed a large, shiny purplish-blue stone. It was only a little longer than Luke's forearm. Nestled in Artoo's circuitry, it looked very out of place.

What is so important about this thing? Unless... The realization dawned on him quickly. "Is it... an egg?" Luke asked. If it, by some chance, was an egg, it would be a dragon egg.

"Indeed, it is a dragon egg." Obi-wan carefully lifted it out of Artoo and held it out for Luke to see. Now that he could observe it properly, he could see thin white veins in the egg, the vibrant contrast of the light purple at the upper part of the egg, slowly transitioning into blue as it went downwards, the bottom a dark sapphire blue, deeper than anything he had ever seen, especially on a backwater planet like Tatooine.

He reached forwards and gently touched it. It felt warm, a strange type of warm that he could feel in both his hand and his mind. "A dragon egg..." Luke continued to stare at it, then back at Kisenth, wondering how something so small could become something so large. "When will it hatch?" Luke asked, curious.

"I'm hoping it will hatch soon. Eggs... they hatch for certain people. If this one hatches for you, you could be a Rider. A Rider like your father."

"Like my father? You knew him?" He asked, desperate for answers about him. Nobody had told him anything about his father, aside from his name. Anakin Skywalker.

"Yes, I knew him." Obi-wan said, his voice a mixture of sadness and poorly concealed concern. "He was a Jedi Rider, as I am, betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader. I have sensed Vader with the force. It is the reason we need to hurry."

Luke gasped. The Dark Lord of the Sith, here, now? Was there anything that could not go wrong? But what about- "Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru!" He exclaimed, realizing the danger they could be in.

"They are safe, Luke." Obi-wan reassured him. "Vader is more interested in us then in them." Well, maybe he wasn't that reassuring, but he tried. "We need to get out of here. You ever rode a dragon before?" Luke shook his head, though it was a rhetorical question.

Obi-wan scooped up the egg and climbed onto his dragon's back, reaching down to help Luke. He hesitated before climbing onto the dragon's back, thrill and fear in his chest as he started his first ever adventure. He was sure he could trust this man, Obi-wan had saved his life after all.

When he was strapped into the saddle, and the dragon sprang into the sky, and Luke suppressed the urge to vomit again. So, this was flying.

Below them, Artoo whistled sorrowfully at being abandoned, and rolled over to check on Threepio.

Kisenth flew with his Rider and their new padawan. If they kept that new padawan would be determined by their ability to evade their old padawans, who were also the fathers of both their new padawan and the egg that would hopefully hatch soon, long enough to get to their old ship, which had been parked far away to avoid discovery.

Kisenth sighed, wondering how they would ever make it.


	2. Dragons

Luke Skywalker had never in his life been so confused. Different emotions were swirling in his mind, a storm of emotions that provided an almost welcome distraction from his surroundings. He was so high up he could have touched the clouds if Tatooine had had any, or if they weren't careful, crash to the ground. There was that fear, of course, and fear of the empire, for himself and his family.

And yet... There was excitement and a sense of adventure that made him weigh lighter than the air, and made him feel like he was doing something important. Like this would be the start of something great. He had been cast into a world of dragons and magic and laser swords. A world of heroes and princesses that were, before this, only stories that he and his friends used to listen to, to amuse themselves.

He could only imagine where this path would lead, and he was torn between disaster or victory. He soon became bored speculating on the future. He had always wondered about his future, hoping that he would leave Tatooine, asking himself if he would ever look back. If he would ever want to.

The dragon seemed to sense his boredom, and did a spiral in midair. Luke screamed and clutched the spike in front of him, his heart pounding against his rib cage. He heard Obi-wan laugh and he ended up laughing too.

Kisenth dived to the ground, and Luke held on as if he might fall off, trying not to scream. The dive evened out soon, but not soon enough for him, and the made a graceful landing. It stirred up a cloud of sand, making Luke cough until it cleared.

"Why did we land here?" The area they had chosen to land at was no different from anywhere else, there was only sand as far as the eye could see.

Obi-wan helped him down before he said anything, and didn't address Luke when he spoke. "Help me clear off this sand."

Kisenth started to dig, and Luke backed up so he wouldn't get hit by any of the sand. "What is going on?"

"I buried my ship here. Otherwise Jawas would have stolen it. Besides, the sand would have buried it anyway."

Luke stared at him like he was crazy. "Why hide it here of all places? Why not keep it by your home or just destroy it?" And how did he know it was here in the first place? There was no signs of a ship buried beneath the shining sand.

"If the empire had found it, my cover would be blown; it is the only ship large enough to hold Kisenth."

"Wouldn't having a dragon blow your cover, too?" Luke replied sarcastically. The Rider did not respond. Kisenth tore up the ground with his powerful claws, and though there was a lot of sand in the way, he made considerable progress in a short amount of time. Kisenth backed away from the gaping hole in that he had created, panting. Obi-wan, seeing that Kisenth was done, lifted his hand.

The warrior strained, sweat pouring down his face in buckets, with Kisenth standing rigged as if somehow aiding him. At first there was no difference, and then the sand started to churn...

A distant roar broke through the silence, not breaking Obi-wan or Kisenth's concentration. It did make Luke turn around, towards the sound. In the distance, a black spot grew larger; it's movements unlike that of a ship.

Luke turned to Obi-wan. "Someone's coming! A dragon!" Obi-wan ignored him, seeming to look through him. Luke turned and saw the shape again, only this time it was clear that it was clear that it was a dragon like he had guessed.

Turning back, the whole world seeming to slow around him, he saw the sand burst up as if from an explosion, a sleek gray ship rising up as if resurrected from the dead. The ship was pointing up, it's tip almost sharp. The cockpit stuck out of the whole contraption, which was shaped like a box. It's purpose was to hold a dragon, and it looked like it could. The wings were folded up against the body, but he could tell they were large. The ship was huge, and Luke was glad he was far enough away not to get splashed by the explosion of sand as it burst out of it's hiding place.

After he set it down, Obi-wan snapped out of his trance and wiped the sweat from his forehead, not smiling like usual but his expression deadly calm. "Size matters not," he murmured.

Obi-wan threw the egg into Luke's arms, and dragged Luke into the ship as soon as the ramp opened, pulling him up and setting him in the co-pilot's chair, since Luke had frozen in shock. Luke looked back at the closing ramp. "Kisenth..?"

"He will fight Vader and Asthordmak off long enough for us to escape," Obi-wan explained as he was flipping switches and checking monitors. The ship humming to life was almost music to Obi-wan's ears. "I cannot face him again. You are the only hope for this galaxy. We would gladly throw away our lives for you, Luke."

Tears rolled down his cheeks as Obi-wan started the engines, flying away with a look of determination and selflessness that made Luke wonder just who this person was.

He looked out the window for one last glance at the dragon that had saved him once and was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save him, just one more time. More tears came, he was confused and didn't want to see this majestic creature die. He held onto the egg that had started this mess like a lifeline.

(***)

Vader saw the ship flying away, and the dragon it had left behind. He felt the untrained power of the boy that was undoubtedly Obi-wan's new apprentice, and the small signature of the egg he was hunting for.

He saw Kisenth launch himself into the sky to face Asthordmak, but instead of helping his dragon, Vader jumped off, using the force to land on his feet unharmed. He pulled out a comm link as the dragons roared, and ordered their ship to be captured unharmed. He then pulled out another device to summon his ship.

The dragons were already flying up high, trying to bite each other between blasts of fire. A part of Vader was fighting with Asthordmak, another part watching the fight and waiting for his ship to arrive. The dragons fought and Asthordmak scratched Kisenth, claws slicing through his scales and sinking into the flesh underneath.

When Kisenth bit into Asthordmak's neck, Asthordmak used the force to activate his new fighting equipment. His claws raked across Kisenth's back, and his opponent shrieked in pain and rage, letting Asthordmak go. Asthordmak slashed him again with his lightsaber claws, cutting his wing and making him plummet towards the ground.

He growled and saw his enemy fall, landing ungracefully but landing alive. He dived to the ground to see his enemy could not fly but could still fight. He deactivated his claws, which were built into the mechanical arm. Kisenth had ripped off his original one. Memories of Mustafar made him growl, enraged and immersed in the power of the dark side, he pounced on top of his enemy.

He landed on Kisenth's back, tearing at him, but Kisenth twisted and they wrestled until Kisenth was on top, fiery eyes burning into his. Kisenth scratched him before Asthordmak kicked him off. Kisenth was weak from his injuries, and while he usually had the advantage of experience and size, this time it was Asthordmak who was winning.

Their eyes locked for a moment, and Asthordmak was reminded of a time when they were allies, before their Riders feuded...

He jumped at Kisenth, reactivating his claws and going in for the kill.

Vader saw Kisenth's defeat at the same time his ship landed. It looked like the one Obi-wan used except it was black instead of gray, and slightly smaller. He jumped in as quickly as possible and began pursuit immediately. He saw that his navy had not allowed the ship to get so far as to make it out of the atmosphere.

It had stopped to pick up the droids, losing precious time. It was trailed by at least a dozen TIE fighters, and Vader felt a surge of anger when he saw them aiming to destroy the ship, not to guide it towards one of the Star Destroyers and their tractor beams like he had intended.

It was a lucky shot that destroyed the ship. Or an unlucky shot, if you were the person who fired it. The ship went spiraling down, flames and black smoke tailing it like a comet. It crash landed inside the Mos Eisley spaceport, and Vader hoped for at least the egg to survive the crash.

Luke saw the ground rushing up to meet them, and the buildings of Mos Eisley that they were inevitably going to crash into. The flames had engulfed the rear of the vehicle, so he fastened his seat belt. He held onto the egg with all of his strength as Obi-wan tried to keep them from dying on impact.

He could have sworn he heard Obi-wan mumble "Another happy landing..." Before everything went dark.

(***)

Han Solo was an infamous smuggler. Never mind the fact that he was only 16. Him and Chewbacca had made a name for themselves, people had stopped doubting him just because of his age. That meant they treated him like any other adult, and the penalties of failure were the same. They had made a name for themselves, a name with a very large bounty attached.

He saw the ship in the air before it crashed, and he ran as fast as he could away from the danger. The force of the impact threw him forward,but luckily neither him nor Chewbacca were hurt. The crash looked survivable, at least for the people inside. Seeing Chewie run to help them, he felt inclined to help. He had to follow or be left outside. They entered through a hatch that opened out the side. Once inside the burning wreckage, he spotted a man trying to pull a child out of the ruined transport and took him, carrying him easily despite the kid being relatively the same age as him.

When the man did not come out after him, he looked back inside to see him pull a metal cylinder out of a drawer, he was already carrying a large gem, before Chewie pulled him out. After them, two droids climbed out of the wreckage. The first was an astromech, and the second a very beat-up protocol droid.

"What were you doing?" Han demanded. "You tryin' to get yourselves killed?"

The man looked at him with utter seriousness. "If we stay here, we will die anyway. The Empire will kill us all... We have money, if you have a ship?" The last sentence was a question. Han felt inclined to help him for some reason...

"How do you know we have a ship?" He asked.

"You're the pilot whose ship made the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs." The man explained. "I believe you have the skills to get us to Alderaan alive." He heard the sound of troopers moving towards them then added "And quickly."

Han laughed. "If you think I'm going to risk facing an imperial Star Destroyer to get you off this planet then you-" "Fifty thousand credits, if you do." The man offered.

"Let's get going." Han Solo said. He would not give up that amount of money, Star Destroyers or not. Chewie carried the boy, with the man carrying a very large and probably rare gem. They ran through alleyways, and Han asked while they were running "Why does the empire care about the gem?"

"This is not a gem. It is far more important than that." Han resolved to ask his questions later after he almost got a blaster bolt to the head. They raced until they got to the Falcon, where he jumped in the pilot's chair and rushed to take off.

It was no easy feat to get past an imperial Star Destroyer, especially the one he recognized as Darth Vader's flagship. Vader was not someone you crossed, and Han had a feeling that he might one day regret this mission, especially since there was no proof that the fifty thousand credits he had been promised even existed. The Imperials were very real, however, and if they wanted them this badly then if they didn't pay, he could hand them over to them.

He had to outmaneuver uncountable TIE fighters and similar ships, and even saw a ship that was the same model as the one that had crashed. He was almost ready to go to light speed when he heard a scream of agony from the back of the shuttle. His heart raced as he sent the ship into hyperspace. The man was doubled over, tears pouring from his eyes and he collapsed, moaning on the ground.

Han cursed and checked to see if he was alright, regretting this trip for what he felt like would not be the first time in this journey. The man held his head in his hands, his face contorted with pain. There were no physical wounds that Han could see, but he slowly started to calm down, visibly regaining control. "Are you okay?" Han asked slowly, unsure of how to help in this situation. He was no medic.

The man looked up, pain in his eyes, and slowly replied. "My friend died. I know because I felt him die." Han didn't believe that you could feel another person's death, but he nodded anyway, not wanting to contradict him about something that clearly hurt him a lot.

He then looked over the boy, who to be honest wasn't much younger than him. He had a shallow cut on his forehead but was otherwise left with small scratches and bruises. The kid's eyes fluttered open and he bolted upright, looking around at his surroundings with ice-blue eyes.

"Take it easy," Han warned. "What's going on?" The boy asked, sounding exhausted but alert.

"My name is Han Solo. You're in my ship, the Millennium Falcon, headed for Alderaan."

The kid looked confused. "Alderaan? Why?"

"It's where we need to bring the egg. There are people that can help us there." The man replied.

"Wait, that thing is an egg? Why would the empire care about an egg anyway? And who are you people?" Han demanded, tired of being left in the dark. He was starting to regret his decision.

"I'm Obi-wan, and this is Luke. The empire cares because it is not just any egg; it is a dragon's egg."

Han just stared at him. There were legends, of course, of the Jedi Riders. Everybody knew of them, they were whispered legends, because of the empire, but the empire's fear of these stories were only fuel to the flame. It was a well-known fact that Vader had a dragon, a huge black beast with a cybernetic arm, but to have an actual dragon egg on board his ship was madness. He was not naive enough to believe that story.

Luke walked over to where the egg was, picking it up and holding it close. "Why does the empire care if there is another dragon loose in the galaxy? They aren't the most fearsome beasts in the galaxy. Vader's pet is dangerous, but I wouldn't waste any firepower over it, and I certainly wouldn't send my right-hand man to fetch it, if I were the emperor."

Obi-wan looked at the egg Luke was holding, and then looked at Luke himself before saying "This is more... personal. Dragons are not mindless beasts. They are sentient creatures. They say having a dragon gives you more powers then you could imagine. But the egg is the spawn of Vader's dragon. And I'm sure they would do anything to find it."

Han didn't know what to say to that. He walked back to the cockpit, not wanting to get more involved in this mess then he had to. His only goal was to go to Alderaan and get the money as soon as possible.

(***)

Vader was tense as his ship landed outside the Lars homestead. There were reports that the boy that had left with Obi-wan had lived here. His name was Luke Skywalker. He walked down the ramp and saw the door open, and Owen Lars step out with a blaster in hand. Vader disarmed him with the force and walked calmly up to face him.

"Vader," Owen said, and he wondered if Owen knew who he used to be. "Owen Lars. I want to know about the child you raised." Owen's eyes widened. "You won't kill him like you killed his father!" He exclaimed, the look of fear replaced with defiance. So, that was the story that Obi-wan had told him.

As if drawn by the noise, Beru Lars stepped out the door, glaring at Vader with twice the resolve of her husband. "Leave, Lord Vader. He is not here." Her words were icy and full of venom.

"Is Luke the son of Anakin Skywalker?" He asked that one question, not know what answer he was hoping for or which one he was expecting.

"Yes."

Darth Vader turned away from them. He did not need to know any more. "What shall we do with the couple?" A stormtrooper asked him when he got to the ship. "Leave them alone. They have committed no crime."

The Dark Lord of the Sith's anger was all directed at Obi-wan.

(***)

Luke liked to stare at the egg. For some reason it was always warm to the touch, thrumming. He could sense the life force coming from the egg, and it made him feel better to have around. He held it, trying not to focus on anything else but it. Then the ship jolted suddenly, and Luke fell to the floor. He ran to the cockpit to see what was going on, still carrying the egg with him though it was heavy.

The adults were staring out at the ships that had pulled them out of hyperspace. "What's going on?" He asked, hoping they wouldn't shoo him away. "Those are unmarked ships; we don't know who they belong to." Obi-wan replied, glancing down at him before returning looking back up.

Suddenly the comm crackled and a man's voice came from the speakers. "Unknown ship, identify yourself." Han angrily replied "Identify yourselves; you pulled us out of hyperspace, not the other way around!"

"Request denied. Identify yourself, your cargo, and destination, and prepare to be boarded."

Obi-wan looked at the ships for another moment before saying "I think those are alliance ships. And even if they aren't we should be friendly towards them or risk retaliation, which would not be beneficial since we are outnumbered."

"Why? The rebels are friends of yours?"

"They are who we are trying to bring the egg to. This is just faster."

Han activated the comm somewhat reluctantly. "This is the Millennium Falcon; we are transporting passengers to Alderaan. We will comply with your orders and are preparing to be boarded."


	3. Ghosts

_**HEY! IMPORTANT: Now that I have your attention, the last two chapters have been edited. Some things might not make sense if you don't re-read them! (Especially since I haven't updated in forever).**_

 **Optional reading: I know it has been awhile since my last update. A long, long while. Thanks to my brother, I have continued this little fic. Thanks to my mom, this chapter is much better than the original chapter 3. Enjoy.**

* * *

The man who had designed the Devastator's detention block had two goals in mind: To instill fear and a sense of isolation in it's prisoners. He chose the sharpest shades of gray that were intended to cut through the strongest of resolves, light's reflection only glinting with whispered promises of infamous imperial cruelty. The shadows slowly crept across the floor in a dance that imitated the beating of a human heart.

The very walls seemed to loom towards anyone who walked here, feeding off their raw fear that made the walls press even closer. The detention block was specifically placed near the engines, and their dull thrum filled prisoner's ears and seeped into their bones. The darkness nestled into every fiber of their being until they were a product of their environment. A cold, empty shell.

Every part of the detention block was identical except the numbers engraved above the door. When the prisoner of cell C-42 had been marched in by four Stormtroopers, she had kept her head high the entire way. The atmosphere got through to even the toughest trooper, their steps echoing through the loud silence that was devoid of any eerie noises. The mind was quick to make up more suitable ones.

This prisoner, however, knew that though the walls may reach for her, they will never touch, and while the the hum of machinery may be muffled screams, no mouths were shrieking. The shadows may move, but they were not alive. Her mind knew this, yet her heart beat to the same tune as everyone else trapped in the belly of the giant Star Destroyer.

She was alone in her cell. It was barely wide enough for her to lie down, and had nothing but walls and a single doorway. It had slid open slowly, taking a few seconds to roll up. Now she sat, legs crossed, in the center of the room. She breathed in and out, resisting the urge to pull her legs to her chest and bury her face in her arms.

The walls were a dark gray. Dark like night. She had always liked night, it was a chance to be alone with herself and her own thoughts.

Her breathing slowed and the humming filled her ears. She had spent a lot of time in space, but as big as this ship was, the engines were louder, and deeper than most ships. If she were closer, she would not be able to hear above the sound of them. Still, she could not drown them out with her breathing alone.

The air was stale. Breathing was becoming a struggle. There was nothing to distract herself with, and the air itself had turned against her, getting caught in her throat as she fought for oxygen.

She wrapped her arms around herself, not caring about her position. She did not know when someone was going to come for her, demanding information, her life, anything. Everything was going according to plan, but now it was spinning out of her control. If it was going this bad for her, how could it be going well for the droids?

It was pure luck that her ship had gotten away with those plans, but she was starting to doubt it was lucky that they were near enough to intercept the egg from the wounded ship carrying it. Hope. The eggs, the plans, they were hope. She cradled the flame within herself, but it made the dark room even colder.

She had not been surprised that she had been caught. She still wondered if it was the right thing to do, to put the egg in the R2 unit, but she knew that they would not shoot down a life pod with a rare dragon egg in it. There was a Jedi on Tatooine, a Jedi Rider. If anyone could protect the egg it would be him.

Princess Leia was simply a stepping stone in the fight against the Empire. It did not matter what happened to her, the egg was safe and they would get nothing from her. These thoughts were a pale comfort, they leaked into the colorless walls, staining them with fragile hopes. It didn't, however, brighten the room.

She drew into herself, seeking a way out. Even so, the only escape was within herself. She started to grasp at something intangible with non-existent hands, a calm, alive yet passive thing that squirmed away from her desperation and racing heart.

"It would be better if you tried that later," a disembodied voice, clearly male, suggested.

Leia looked up from her folded arms, not realizing that she had drawn into herself. She looked to the side that the voice had come from. There was nobody there, only the gray walls were watching. She turned to the other side and found herself face to face with a ghost.

She threw herself back, barely managing not to shriek. It was still undignified. Looking at the man, she composed herself and stood.

The man had a faint blue glow, and she could see through him to the wall. His expression was serene, and he was wearing the robes of a Jedi. The light he brought glinted off the metal, the blue giving the atmosphere a bit of calm. They were in their own bubble now, almost separate from the ship itself.

"I apologize, your highness. I did not intend to frighten you," the man said. She could not tell what he was thinking, his face was a mask like most other politicians she had met. His gaze was intense, but people she could work with. She could not fight the nothing that had been there before.

"Who are you," she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"My name is Qui-gon Jinn, a Jedi Knight. My former apprentice contacted me. I understand you are in a bit of a... predicament?"

"Obi-wan Kenobi was your apprentice?" Leia's eyes widened, so the man had gotten her message after all. "Is the egg safe? And the plans?"

Qui-gon nodded. "He is very capable. He will deliver them to your alliance. There is little time for this discussion, however, you need to leave here immediately."

"Do you have a plan?" She asked.

"Yes. You need to disable the tractor beam, and quickly go to the nearest hangar when you are done. I can guide and aid you, but I can only do so much," he explained.

Leia nodded. She did not know the ways of the Force, the Jedi were to her an almost extinct group of warriors, legendary heroes and allies to her cause. This man was dead, yet he was still a Jedi Knight. "Can you open this door?"

The man nodded and raised his hand towards the door. It shifted upwards and she stared out the doorway from her cell. It was darker than inside the cell, no warm blue light there. In fact, as she turned back to look at Qui-gon, she realized that he had left her.

Stepping out of the cell was easy. There was a brief flash of freedom that she took a moment to revel in. She breathed in and the air couldn't choke her, she had a way out now. The red light painted her attire as well as her pale face a light red, but she looked wraith-like when she passed out of it and stepped into the shadows.

She did not encounter any trouble in the detention block itself. She felt especially relieved when she stepped out of it, however. She had remembered the way out, but every turn she took, she glanced backwards, wondering if she had gone the right way.

It was not complicated, but the detention block felt like a maze to those it had trapped within itself. The silence and lack of troops searching for her wore on her more than any number of patrols would.

As soon as she stepped out of the detention block, she heard Qui-gon's voice right by her ear, though she knew it was really in her mind, tell her which direction to go in. Heading down that hallway, she started to hear the footsteps of several Stormtroopers heading her way. They passed her hiding spot, not bothering to turn their heads, and headed for the detention center.

She sighed when they were out of sight, and started to move out of the doorway. Something held her back, and invisible barrier. She took a hesitant step forwards, her instincts screaming at her to back up against the wall to hide. In that moment, a shadow trooper materialized out of thin air, following in the footsteps of the other troopers. She froze, knowing that she called any attention to herself, she would be caught.

Her brown eyes were wide, her racing heart loud enough for the trooper to hear, and her hands were over her mouth, stifling any noise that her breathing could make. After a few steps he stopped, and Leia was sure that he was going to look her way, but instead she heard the words "The Princess has escaped her cell! If you are hearing this message, go to the detention block immediately and find her." Coming from the trooper's comm.

The shadow trooper stepped forward and disappeared again. It was a long time before Leia stepped out from the doorway, and she was much more cautious this time.

The next hard part of her escape was disabling the tractor beam. She had to sneak past several guards to get into the room where the power going to various parts of the ship was controlled. She could not actually manage to do that, and had to crawl through the vents to get inside.

There was a camera in that room, and she waited for it to move, back and forth, to get a sense of how long it took. Before she got out, she looked for the switch, and saw that it was located, luckily, away from the camera's view.

Leia scrambled to get out of the vent as soon as the camera started to move away. She hastily replaced the cover and stepped into it's blind spot, and pulled the switch deactivating the tractor beam. Then she stood there for a few more moments, long enough for it to pull away, and climbed back into the vent.

She was glad for the times she was able to get away from politics long enough to play and climb trees, it was proving to be more useful in this situation than the hours of debating in the senate.

With that task done, Qui-gon directed her through the vents to a different area of the ship. It was a lot of climbing, and sometimes she feared someone might hear her, others she wondered if anyone was going to notice the tractor beams malfunctioning.

When she did finally get to where she was going, she pushed the vent cover up and looked around. The hallway was probably larger than any other on the ship, it was wide enough for three tanks to travel down side by side, with some room to spare. The walls were the same as the other hallways in the ship, but they were warmer from the more natural light

Leia guessed that this was where Vader's dragon traveled, how it got around the ship. It was a great plan, to go through these passages. She didn't imagine that anyone but the dragon and of course the Dark Lord himself roamed these halls. Since the dragon was able to get off the ship, she assumed that there was probably a private hangar around these halls somewhere, and Qui-gon told her she would find it if she went to the left.

After a little bit of walking, she saw a wide open entrance to a large hangar. It was full of smaller ships, surprisingly. There were lots of unique starfighters there, many but not all of them were an imperial design, but those she didn't recognize having never really been interested in flying. There had to be at least thirty different ships gleaming in the unnatural light, but Leia didn't have time to count.

Next to Darth Vader's TIE advanced was a sleek silver had seen the design before, but she couldn't remember where. She stepped towards it and she recalled a similar design of a Nubian craft she had seen. This one had to be older though, she guessed that it had to date back to the clone wars at least. It's ramp was down, inviting. There was something pulling her towards it, and she couldn't resist it.

Leia stepped on board and closed the ramp. She entered the cockpit and slid into the pilot's seat. There was a sudden feeling of urgency as she did a quick (too quick) pre-flight check and started to take off. "I hope that really disabled the tractor beam," she mumbled before she flew out of the hanger.

Almost immediately several TIE fighters flew after her, but there was nothing to pull her back in. The princess's hand faltered over the navigation computer. She did not know where to go. Her heart said Alderaan, where her home and her father awaited her. Logically, she should go back to Yavin, the empire would not know to look for her there.

There was, however, another option wavering at the edge of her consciousness. A different destination, another future. She typed those coordinates in reluctantly.

The Nubian ship streaked away from the Devastator and the pursuing TIEs before they could land a hit on it. She sighed in relief when the ship entered hyperspace, glad to be out. "Thanks," she mumbled to Qui-gon, knowing he would hear her.

* * *

Owen and Beru Lars had raised Luke since he was born. Their only child, adopted or not. Owen had been mad when he had run off with the two droids, but now... He failed. He had failed at protecting the child from making the same mistakes as his father had.

Anakin had always been reckless, way more than Owen had ever been. That was to be expected, they were only step brothers after all. Like a true Skywalker he loved anything that was fast and dangerous. It was business as usual when the fearless teenager entered into a pod race, it was the people betting on him that were unusual. That was how he lost his brother.

Then Luke ran off. Stormtroopers came asking questions about him, and then Darth Vader himself, the man that had (according to Kenobi) killed Anakin Skywalker, had shown up. With only the reports to go by, they still knew that Luke had gotten off world. They did not know whether to be relieved or more worried.

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Beru asked. There was none of the usual light in her eyes, they both had gone through the day in a sort of daze, they both appeared to be lifeless.

"If he does, it won't be for long. He's a Skywalker." He replied. He wondered how he ever got so attached to one of them, troublemakers, adventurers... Jedi.

Beru had known Anakin, they had grown up together after all. Luke proved himself to be every bit his father's son, but there was always a lot of his mother in him, too, even though Beru had never met her he could tell. They could only pray he had enough of his mother in him.

* * *

 **This can also be found on Archive oF Our Own (AO3), under the same name.**

 **Again, much thanks to my mom, who put life into this fic :)**


	4. Rebels

**Here is the next chapter. Enjoy ;)**

The boarding party consisted of four Rebel troops and a commander. Luke saw Han Solo eying the Rebels as they searched through his ship, obviously concerned. His Wookie copilot was standing beside him, and even growled at one of the Rebels who had gotten too close.

They didn't have anything to hide, but they didn't want these people poking around their ship, either. Obi-wan Kenobi was speaking to the commander, and explained their predicament.

"We have the plans here with us as well," he told him.

"Our base is a better place to bring them, and quicker too," the commander replied.

Luke himself stood awkwardly between Han and Chewbacca, and Obi-wan. He suddenly felt very out of place. He was in a space ship, a real one. He did not know where they were, either. He had met a Jedi, in fact, his father _was_ one, and he had seen a dragon as well. He was so far from home, so far from his aunt and uncle and everyone else he knew.

Now he had to find a place for himself among these people, Rebels and his new friends alike.

"Thanks for helping us," Luke said politely.

Han nodded, but added, "I'm not doing this for you, kid. I'm doing this for the credits. I'm going to get my money and then get out of here."

"Kid? You're calling _me_ kid? We're about the same age!" Luke protested.

"Yeah? How old are you anyway?" Han asked.

"Fourteen," Luke replied. He would be fifteen soon, next Empire Day.

"I'm still two years older than you," Han said with a smug grin. "You're a kid to me."

"And both of you are children to me," Obi-wan reminded them, having finished his conversation with the commander.

"What's going to happen?" Luke asked, ignoring his statement.

"We are going directly to the Rebel base, instead of to Alderaan. Do not worry, Han, you'll still get your money." Obi-wan said.

Han shook his head muttering, "This better be worth it." Chewbacca growled in agreement. Luke didn't understand a word the Wookie said, but Han nodded.

Han looked this kid up and down, he seemed just like any other moisture farmer. When Obi-wan turned back, he asked Luke, "What's so special about you, anyway, to be traveling with some Jedi?"

The kid shrugged, almost as if he didn't know it himself. "My father was one. I want to be a Jedi just like him!"

Han snorted. "I'm sure he was. But the Empire got rid of them all. If all those Jedi couldn't fight them, than how can you?"

Luke frowned. "Why do you love the Empire so much?"

"Not saying I do, but it's easier to deal with them than it is to fight them," Han explained.

Luke almost smiled at that. Easy. His uncle always told him that nothing in life is ever easy. He was right about that. Also, he didn't remember doing anything wrong for the Empire to get mad about. They were more concerned about the egg.

That thought made Luke a little uneasy. If the egg really was Vader's dragon's... Then that means that taking it was kidnapping. He had left it in the cockpit, and he glanced back towards it guiltily before replying.

"Freedom fighting is not for everyone," Luke said.

Chewbacca chimed in with a wail, and Han agreed. "Yeah, definitely not us."

Luke turned away from them and went back the cockpit. The egg was sitting in one of the chairs just like he had left it. He wondered what dragons were like. _Really like_ , not just what they looked like, but who they were. They were smart, had families and everything, obviously. He wondered if Darth Vader's dragon was really that bad.

The dragon had killed Kisenth. He hadn't known that dragon, either. Met him, but had not known him. This little egg... It might hatch. It might hatch _for him_. Then what could Vader do? Kill him, spare the hatchling? Jedi Riders were connected to their dragons, that's what everyone said.

Luke looked at the egg. To steal it, even for the greater good, was appalling. Luke felt lonely, separated from his aunt and uncle. He always wanted to leave Tatooine, but not like this. How would a dragon feel, separated from any members of it's own race, completely alone.

"You okay?"

Luke looked up and saw Han standing in the doorway. "Yeah, I... I just miss my home."

"That rock?" Han asked, but stopped when he saw Luke's eyes. "Sorry... Well, you know, you will get used to it. Eventually."

Luke nodded, and then Obi-wan entered with Chewie. "We are cleared to leave at any time."

"Where is the base?" Han asked.

"Yavin IV," Obi-wan replied. "It's not too far from here."

Han turned to his instrumentation. "I got a bad feeling about this..."

"What?" Luke asked, "Everything has gone well so far."

"That's what I'm worried about," Han replied. "It's never this easy."

Luke shrugged, he wouldn't know. He sat down at the table and sighed. He was worn out, it had been a long, exciting day. He heard concerned beeping and looked down to see Artoo. He hadn't even noticed the little droid had rolled up to him until it had beeped.

"What do you want," Luke asked wearily.

"He would like to know if you are quite alright, Master Luke." Threepio translated, walking into the room. Luke noticed that he was a bit beat up and dirty from the fight earlier. Luke himself was, as well.

"I'm... fine. Just a little tired." Luke replied, not wanting to mention that he was also lonely and confused.

Artoo beeped at him and Threepio translated, "He is glad you are okay. I am too. After all we've been through I think we all need an oil bath."

Luke smiled, "Yeah, probably."

Artoo beeped at him questioningly. Threepio said, "I think he does now, though I cannot fathom why."

"What?" Luke asked.

"He is wondering if you like him now," Threepio said.

Luke smiled, "Of course I do... you seem alright, I mean."

Artoo beeped at him excitedly, and Threepio didn't bother to translate this time.

(***)

Darth Vader, as a Dark Lord of the Sith, did not kneel to just anyone. He only did so in the presence of one man, the Emperor. Even so, he knelt often.

"Are you certain, Lord Vader?" The Emperor did not show any outward signs of surprise. In fact, Vader did not think he was surprised at all. He was already calculating the risks and trying to find a way to come out on top.

"Yes. The boy is the son of Skywalker, and the egg is with him," Vader said evenly. He hid nothing from his master. He never did, because he needed the man's trust. His faith in his servant would be his undoing.

"The boy is of no threat to us now, but we can not allow him to become one," He said, eyes narrowing.

"If he were turned, he would be a powerful ally," Vader reminded him. If the Emperor ordered him to kill the child, his refusal would betray him. He had to let him think that Luke would be of some use to him.

"He is of no consequence. I am more interested in the egg. Bring it back to me, and if it hatches for Skywalker... bring him here as well" The Emperor's orders were not reassuring, but it was very likely that the egg would hatch for Luke. Asthordmak had hatched for him, it was not hard to imagine that his egg would hatch for another Skywalker.

"It will be done," He promised, and the transmission ended.

He stepped out of the room and stormed off towards the Dragon Hold. An aid attempted to speak to him, but he pushed past him. He was not angry, but he had better things to be doing than listening to useless reports.

Asthordmak had been watching Vader's interaction with the Emperor carefully, as always. ' _We will not always have to listen to him,_ ' Asthordmak growled in his mind.

Vader could sense his dragon's desire to tear apart the galaxy, planet by planet, in order to find his lost child. It was a feeling that Vader shared. His child, his _son_ , Luke Skywalker... Was with Obi-wan of all people. A Jedi. Why he had to be with that Jedi in particular, Darth Vader did not know. It was a pale satisfaction to know that he was without his own dragon, because dragons had a tendency to follow their Rider's decisions out of loyalty. They did disagree with their Riders sometimes, however they did not have use for power, wealth, fame, or any other things their Riders might strive for.

As such, Kisenth wasn't responsible for Obi-wan's actions.

Asthordmak was waiting for him when he entered the Dragon Hold. It was a spacious place, the ceiling was high enough for Asthordmak to fly, but he still got restless when he had to stay in any one place for long. There was an alcove in the wall where he slept, but otherwise the room was plain. The lighting was softer and more natural then elsewhere in the Star Destroyer.

They regarded each other for a moment, they were separated more than either would like and only spent any time together inside their minds. Dragons were not pets, were more than friends, even. A dragon was an extension of their Rider, and vice verse.

Asthordmak growled, ' _The egg thief should know where they went._ ' Piercing blue eyes tore into Vader for a moment before the dragon blinked and looked down sadly. ' _We will find it,_ ' Vader promised. ' _We will find them both._ '

(***)

Kendra sat at the foot of a tall, moss-covered tree. She pulled up the roots she found at the bottom of the tree. She had seen enough roots to last herself a lifetime, but Yoda seemed to like them well enough. It was not like she was going to leave anytime soon. The roots she pulled up were nameless, pale green and slimy, but they needed to be dried out to be edible, anyway.

As the first few years had passed, Yoda always demanded she learn something new. "Control of yourself you need," he had told her, "before control the Force you can."

She had meditated on that a lot, wondered what it meant. To control the Force... She needed to control herself. Not only that, she needed to know herself. Yoda had not told her she was not a Jedi, not since they arrived. She had asked him many times, but that was earlier. "Am I a Jedi?"

He only ever replied by asking why she was not a Jedi. After a few years, for these things improve only with time and meditation, she decided that to be a Jedi, she needed to find out what was holding her back, and to overcome it.

Mastery of self would come after.

 **Kendra is my OC. Tell me what you think of her. Or tell me anything, really. Please comment.**


	5. Sith

**Some more Rebels, some training... Pretty much it.**

The Rebel base was a flurry of activity when they landed there. Obi-wan descended the ramp first, followed by Luke and the droids, with Han and Chewbacca a few steps behind. Obi-wan was immediately brought to the Alliance command with the droids. Luke, Han, and Chewbacca, however, were left behind.

That didn't mean that they had to stay on the Falcon, however. Luke stayed in the hangar and talked with the pilots, mainly about flying. He had always wanted to do that one day. Han and Chewie did stay to make repairs to their ship. The Millennium Falcon was a piece of junk and they weren't so much repairing it as keeping it from falling apart.

Obi-wan walked over to command, tailed by the two droids. C3-PO was uncharacteristically silent as he followed, giving Obi-wan more space for his thoughts, as if he hadn't had enough on the way there. Kisenth was dead. Kisenth was _dead_. _Kisenth_.

' _I am still with you,_ ' Kisenth told him. It was... weird how although he was _gone_ he was still _here._ ' _I know,_ ' Obi-wan said. Every time he got lonely, which was often after spending most of his life connected to another being, Kisenth was there to reassure him. Their bond was still there, but one side was... empty. There, but empty.

He stepped into the room where the Rebel leaders were assembled, and gave them a slight smile. When he spoke, it was directly to Mon Mothma herself.

"Hello," He said, "I have a... delivery." He held out the dragon egg and Artoo rolled forwards, projecting the plans for the Death Star.

She stared at the egg in his arms, before touching it softly, almost like she did not believe it was real.

"A dragon egg... I had thought our plan was doomed to fail."

Obi-wan nodded. "It almost did, and the Empire is not going to stop searching for this egg. It's not over."

Obi-wan thought that attempting to steal an egg from a _Sith Lord_ of all people was both reckless and irresponsible. It was pure luck that they had succeeded, and now they were all in more danger. He knew Asthordmak, and he knew Ana—Vader. Neither of them would rest until they found that dragon, and perhaps Luke as well. He did not doubt that Vader knew who he was.

"Maybe it isn't over, but now the Alliance has the symbol it needs. The Jedi were the guardians of democracy for thousands of years. To bring them back... to have you here... is important." She explained.

She gestured towards some technicians, and one of them knelt before Artoo and retrieved the plans for the Death Star from him.

"I heard your dragon, Kisenth, died. I'm sorry for your loss." Mon Mothma's apology sounded sincere, but he knew that at most she was sad that she couldn't use him as another symbol. There was a certain amount of respect for the Jedi Riders, and a grown dragon was far superior to a hatchling.

Darth Vader was known for his mystical abilities and his brutal methods, but the one thing that set him apart from the rest of the Empire was his dragon. Even before Anakin turned, Asthordmak was fearsome, but now he was unstoppable. The power of the Dark Side had made them both stronger, but not better. If the Alliance had their own dragon, it and it's Rider would need to compete with them and then some. A hatchling would not make a good symbol or fighter. Of course Obi-wan was going to train Luke to the best of his ability, but it would not be easy.

"There is... more." Obi-wan told her, eager to change the subject.

"Yes?" She asked, the force told him she was confused, yet her face told him nothing. She was a politician.

"The boy that came with me is Anakin Skywalker's son," Obi-wan explained. He knew she wouldn't understand the significance of that statement, and neither would any of the others watching their exchange with interest. Few knew that Darth Vader had once been Anakin Skywalker... The rash Jedi... The shy youth that he had met on Tatooine so long ago.

"Anakin Skywalker? The Jedi Rider?" She asked, either hoping for yet another symbol, or somebody for which the egg was likely to hatch.

"Yes. I would like to keep him close to the egg, just in case." Obi-wan explained.

"Yes..." Mon Mothma started, then after a moment's hesitation added, "Isn't he just a child?"

"He is old enough to begin the training. This war will last years, long enough to train him. The dragon will need to grow as well," He reminded her.

It was not good to raise a dragon in a war. They were not monsters that only knew fighting. Raising one was raising a child. Obi-wan was glad that the egg had been brought to Tatooine, these people knew nothing about dragons.  
"Yes, of course," Mon Mothma said. "Today is a great day for the Rebellion."

(***)

Darth Vader was too busy to spend much time with Asthordmak, he had to find both of their children. To do that, he needed to interrogate the princess. She was young, but that did not mean she was innocent. As soon as he stepped out of his quarters however, he saw the Aid that had attempted to speak with him before. This time the young main fairly reeked with fear.

"What is it," He demanded. He did not have the patience for interruptions.

The aid swallowed and said, "My lord, the princess has escaped."

His voice was not loud. It was a sharp and filled with dark rage that even a shout could not convey. " _What?_ "

The aid's eyes widened and he replied, "She escaped her cell, my lord, and stole a ship."

" _How did she escape her cell?_ " Vader's fists were clenched, and he was making an effort to _not_ kill this man because he needed him to tell him exactly how she escaped.

"We don't know, sir." The aid answered.

"You don't know," Darth Vader said, his eyes narrowing. Usually his men were not so incompetent. Asthordmak sent him a questioning thought, and he quickly shared with him their conversation.

' _She escaped..._ ' There was anger in those words, but mostly... Hopelessness. Their lead was gone. However, this situation was salvageable, just barely.

"What ship did she take?" Vader asked. If they could track it...

"A Nubian Yacht-" the aid began before Vader interrupted him. "She stole one of _my_ ships?"

The aid nodded, and then added, "Yes sir."

Vader was seething with rage. The princess hadn't stolen his ship, not really, she had stolen _her_ ship, and that made it so much worse. Leia Organa had not only aided in the kidnapping of his dragon's child, but she had stolen the only thing he had that was Padmé's. Besides their child, of course, but he didn't have him yet. That would be the last thing she did.

"Track that ship," He growled, "and dispatch probe droids across the galaxy. I want their base found. And watch Alderaan for any ships matching the markings of the freighter that left Mos Eisley."

Vader turned and stalked towards the bridge. There was not much he could really do in this situation except to wait for results. There was not a homing beacon on _her_ ship, and sending thousands of probes throughout the galaxy was unlikely to yield any results. Still, he had to try.

In the back of his mind, he could hear Asthordmak growl. They were in agreement on most subjects, this was no exception. They needed to find their children because if they didn't, then they would be in extreme danger. Darth Sidious had ways of getting what he wanted, and he had made it clear that he wanted to eliminate Skywalker before he became a threat.

If he managed to get his hands back on the egg, he would continue to search for people it might hatch for. People he could control. More importantly, people that would control the hatchling itself.

(***)

"Luke? We need to talk."

Looking up, Luke saw Obi-wan standing in the doorway of his room. The Alliance had assigned him one since he would be staying there for a while. Technically he was supposed to be sharing it with Han, but he had just shook his head and told him he'd rather sleep in his ship, especially since they hadn't offered his copilot a room.. Luke couldn't complain, though he found the mini smuggler good enough company.

The room was small, with two cots and a small table between them. Luke had chosen the one on the left. The cot itself was not as comfortable as his bed at home, but the table was real wood. He wasn't used to seeing trees like there were outside, so he definitely wasn't accustomed to real wood.

"Do you think they're alright?" Luke asked. "My aunt and uncle," He clarified.

"I cannot be sure unless I contact them," Obi-wan replied, stepping into the room, "and that might put them in more danger."

Obi-wan sat down on Han's cot and said "I came here to answer your questions about your father."

He sat the egg which he had been holding on the cot next to him, and then offered Luke an innocuous silver cylinder. "And, to give you this."

Luke stared at it, it was- "A lightsaber?"

"Not any lightsaber," Obi-wan said. "It was your fathers'. He would have wanted you to have it."

Luke stared at the weapon. _His father's lightsaber._ He took the weapon with reverence and held it away from himself as he thumbed the switch. A blue laser snapped out of the handle with a hiss, and Luke marveled at it for a few moments before he shut it off. His father, Anakin Skywalker, had fought with this weapon.

Suddenly, Luke wondered what he had been like. He asked Obi-wan, curious and wanting to patch the empty space that no amount of answers could ever fill.

"He was confident when I first met him, proud of his skills- he was a pod racer." Luke nodded, Owen mentioned this to him before, but it was still impressive. "But he wasn't very good with people," Obi-wan said with a smile. "He eventually outgrew his shyness. He really cared for people, was always trying to do the right thing. He was reckless but a good tactician at times. He would worry about other people more than himself, a problem sometimes..." Obi-wan hesitated, lost in his memories.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked.

"Fine, I just... miss him," Obi-wan lied, while telling the truth.

Luke looked down. At least he had something to miss. "Who was my mother?"

Obi-wan smiled sadly. "Padmé Amidala. She was a Senator and former Queen of Naboo."

"My mom was a queen?" Luke exclaimed.

"Yes, she was, on Naboo they elect their queens. She was a great politician, you know. I'm afraid I didn't know her as well as I knew your father."

Luke wondered what his parents looked like... Wondered what it would have been like if they had not been killed.

Obi-wan speaking shook Luke out of his thoughts. "This will be staying here," he explained as he gestured towards the egg. "Sometimes they take a while to hatch, but it needs to stay near you in case it does."

Luke looked at the egg. He could keep it in his room. It did not take up any space and its not like he had any belongings to get in it's way. "Okay."

"Would you like me to show you how to use your lightsaber?" Obi-wan offered.

"Sure," Luke replied.

Obi-wan led him out of the room. He followed him through the base and they went outside. Luke looked around at all the trees. Luke had never seen so much green in his life, having lived on Tatooine. It was quickly becoming his favorite color.

He also wasn't used to the chill in the air. Night could get really cold sometimes but they always turned their heater on and he was usually asleep anyway. He didn't notice the remote until it shot him in the shoulder. He turned to Obi-wan, startled, and Obi-wan smiled. "Pay attention."

Luke activated his father's lightsaber and watched to remote carefully. "Luke, stop," Obi-wan sighed.

"What?" Luke asked, confused.

"Like this." Obi-wan pulled out his own lightsaber and held it in a basic defensive stance. Luke imitated him, straightening his lightsaber and facing the remote like Obi-wan was facing him. "Better," Obi-wan commented. "We will have to work on that later. For now, try to feel the Force in motion around you. Can you sense it?"

"I..." Luke thought for a moment. "I think I do."

"Can you feel it in the remote?" Obi-wan asked.

"I-I don't know," Luke said. "What does it feel- Oww!" Luke said as he got shot again.

"Just try to block them." Obi-wan commanded.

Luke watched the remote. It shot, and he tried to deflect the blasts. He managed to hit a few of them, most in fact, but he ended up getting shot a lot as well.

"Good," Obi-wan said, "you've gotten the hang of it. Now, try it with your eyes closed."

"Why?" Luke asked.

"The goal isn't just to deflect shots, and your eyesight is a distraction."

Luke slowly nodded, closing his eyes and getting in a sloppy imitation of Obi-wan's stance. The remote went up and down, and to the side, then shot at his face. He raised the lightsaber just in time to not get hit, and blocked the next bolts with similar speed. Obi-wan was impressed, but then Luke lost control of his tentative grasp of the Force, and started to get shot.

Obi-wan then turned off the remote. It was enough. Luke's eyes shot open and he grinned. "Did you see that? Because I didn't! I blocked all of those without even looking!"

"Did you feel it?" Obi-wan asked.

"Yes..." Luke said, his excitement replaced with thoughtfulness. Obi-wan had not seen that look on the face of a Skywalker often enough. "It was strange. I knew what was going to happen. Well, I didn't know until it shot, but I felt it. Does that make sense?"

"Well... No, but the Force does not make sense until you are a bit more experienced." Obi-wan explained. One could never be a true master of the Force. At least, Obi-wan did not think that he himself would. If the Force could still be secretive to Yoda, then no amount of experience could unravel all it's secrets. The Force did eventually make sense, but Obi-wan could remember when he had not been as attuned as he was now.

Luke looked past Obi-wan to see a familiar figure approaching. When Han was closer, Luke said "Hey Han. Need anything?"

Han looked at the kid, saw the unlit lightsaber in his hands and the remote lying on the ground. "What are you doing?"

"I'm training. I blocked the remote's blaster fire with my eyes closed!" Luke exclaimed happily.

Han snorted. "Sure you did, kid." Luke frowned at his condescending tone.

"You don't believe me," He said, sounding vaguely disappointed.

Han rolled his eyes. "You don't actually expect me to believe you, do you?"

Luke shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to become a Jedi and prove you wrong."

"I guess so," Han replied. He didn't actually believe the Jedi had any mystical powers. They were good fighters, perhaps, but they were not magical. He refused to believe it.

"What do you need?" Obi-wan asked.

"Ah, right," Han said. "I came here to talk about my payment."

"Of course," Luke sighed.

Obi-wan had figured as much. Han Solo was not just greedy, he knew it was more than that. He really needed that money. "Well, I had anticipated us going to Alderaan. That is where your money is at, not here. Do not worry. Bail Organa will arrive soon with fifty thousand credits to pay you with."

"Great," Han said, "And when will he be getting here?"

"Within a week. He was supposed to be here already, but the Empire is watching him closely now." Obi-wan told him.

"Well, you have a week then," Han said grudgingly, walking back towards the hangar.


	6. Jedi

Leia Organa woke to the stolen ship's warning as she exited hyperspace. She had never heard of the Dagobah system, or the planet there for that matter, until she typed in those coordinates almost as if she was in a trance.

After what felt like forever watching the stars pass by, she fell asleep. She woke feeling not quite rested, but not exhausted like she had been.

Leia sat up and grabbed the controls. She saw the planet she was drawn towards, and directed her ship where it felt right. She couldn't explain that feeling, it was like defining a word that you don't quite know yourself. She didn't know how, and didn't feel like she had the authority to.

She entered the atmosphere and slipped into the dense fog that everything on that planet was immersed in. As she sunk towards the ground, trees and branches slapped the ship, but didn't do any damage.

She gently set the ship down, almost landing in the swamp, but making it to (relatively) dry land instead. She stood up and activated the ramp. Leia looked around as she descended, deciding that there was little to see on this planet. The trees were covered in moss and vines, and visibility was poor due to the fog. The entire plant was a swamp, but Leia didn't notice any mosquitoes or other pests.

She considered walking away from her ship to try and find whatever had brought her there, but she decided that it wasn't worth the risk. If she got lost, she might never again leave this planet. That thought was scary, many people had gotten stranded on uninhabited worlds before, you could not make a spaceship from scratch.

So, Leia went back in the ship and looked through it. It was practically empty, with no emergency supplies or anything, but further analysis showed that it had been modified. She waited, bored, for something to happen. She decided to wait the night, if nothing happened then she would leave. Well, she doubted night would look much different than day, but still.

Kendra was walking back to Yoda's hut when she stepped into a familiar clearing to see a familiar ship. She dropped her bag of roots and reached for her lightsaber, feeling for the cold that would mark _his_ presence, but all she felt was light. An untrained, but not particularly bright Force presence. So that was why she had not noticed this person's arrival.

The presence felt familiar, and unfamiliar, at the same time. Kendra still held her lightsaber in her hand as she walked up the open ramp, but it was deactivated. Just a precaution. The J-type star skiff was just as she remembered it, but she couldn't imagine that Anakin hadn't modified more in the years that he had had it.

Instead of her former friend (acquaintance really) turned Sith, she saw a little girl inside, looking at her as if she wasn't real. She stared back. The girl had brown hair and eyes, Padmé's eyes, she guessed, and her height as well. She saw a bit of Anakin in her, as well. She hadn't seen his children before, though Yoda had told her of them, but she guessed that this must be Leia. But what was she doing with this ship?

"Where did you get this ship?" Kendra asked, keeping her tone neutral.

Leia looked her up and down as well before replying. "I stole it. It was Darth Vader's, but I had to escape in something."

Anakin had changed his name. Well, more likely he received it. Vader. There was a lot of information in those two sentences, the important thing being that neither 'Darth Vader' nor Leia 'Organa' knew they were related.

"I see. And you came here to learn?" Kendra looked at this girl. She hoped that she would be more like her mom, but something in the way she held herself reminded her distinctly of him.

Leia hesitated before asking, "Learn what?"

Leia already knew what, of course, but she needed to hear it. Confirmation that she wasn't just crazy.

"The Force. Didn't it lead you here?" Kendra replied.

Leia nodded. "I believe so. I'm Leia," she held out her hand, "Leia Organa."

"Just call me Kendra," Kendra replied, shaking her hand. She had a last name, of course, she was Kendra Miirlan.

"Are you a Jedi?" Leia asked.

"No, I'm still learning. I believe the Jedi you are looking for is Master Yoda." Kendra explained.

"Where is he?" Leia inquired.

"Follow me," Kendra ordered as she walked back down the ramp, clipping her lightsaber to her belt. She grabbed her bag of roots and started on her way back to Yoda. "What about the ship?" She heard Leia ask behind her.

"Don't worry, it won't wander off," Kendra promised. It almost seemed like a dream, a ship landing in this swamp. She had gotten used to the solitude, her only company being Yoda, but now... This would be interesting.

(***)

When they arrived at Yoda's hut, which was right next to Kendra's bigger one, the Jedi Master was already waiting for them.

"Back you have come," Yoda remarked, "and not just roots you have brought."

Kendra nodded. "You knew she was coming, Master. You should have warned me."

"Need warning do you, or training? Meditate you should. Alert you have not been," Yoda scolded, sounding disappointed.

It was true, she had not been alert. Too long in one place, she had thought that nobody was coming. It was dangerous to stray into that line of thought. It was one that led to refusal of anything contrary to those thoughts. Kendra had been reminiscing on the past lately, and perhaps if she had paid attention she would have realized that that was where the Force had been pulling her.

"I understand, Master." Kendra said.

"Perhaps you do," Yoda said, and Kendra knew that that was the closest Yoda got to praise.

Leia still stood behind Kendra, waiting to be acknowledged.

"Want to learn, do you? Unsure you are. Confused. How am I to teach a student of this kind?" Yoda asked.

Leia looked a little disappointed. "I came here to get rid of that confusion-"

"You know not why you came here," Yoda corrected.

"You taught me," Kendra protested. "I was more than just confused."

Yoda nodded. "Much trouble you were," Yoda agreed.

"Will you teach me?" Leia asked.

"Fine! Teach you I will. Tomorrow we will start." Yoda said, turning back inside his hut. "Dinner I shall make," Yoda said.

When he was inside, Leia turned to Kendra. "What now?" She asked.

"Well," Kendra started, "I can show you how to make a bed, and get you... settled in. Training takes a while."

Leia sighed, "I do not have a while."

Kendra looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"The Rebel Alliance needs me, and my father will be worried," Leia explained.

"Rebel Alliance?" Kendra asked.

"The Alliance to Restore the Republic. How long have you been here?" Leia asked.

"Too long," Kendra admitted. "Since the fall of the Republic."

"Well," Leia said, "we won't run out of things to talk about over dinner."

(***)

Leia ran through the swamp, following after Kendra. The woman leaped over roots and ducked under branches with boundless energy. She was carrying Yoda on her back, which was easy for the first few minutes, but Leia had been following Kendra for what felt like forever, and she was panting and tired, but had yet to complain.

Yoda had been talking about the Force earlier, an energy field that encompassed all things, but now Kendra was shouting back at her, and she made a little more sense.

"The Force lends you it's strength when you are tired. It is difficult for some to feel it when they are exercising," Kendra yelled at her. "Others find it easy, and harder to draw on during meditation."

Leia nodded, though she knew Kendra couldn't see her. Through the Force, or at least that was Leia's guess, both of her new teachers knew when she understood something or not. It was almost annoying, except it helped them to teach her so Leia couldn't complain.

Leia reached out to the Force. It was slightly dizzying, all the life around them seeking to draw her attention away from the task at hand. Leia focused on herself, pulling the Force towards herself. It didn't really help her much.

"Pay attention with _all_ your senses," Kendra advised, ducking to avoid a branch.

Leia ducked under the same branch a heartbeat later. She felt the Force, brought it's light close, but also felt every impact of her feet on the ground, the way her muscles moved, and the Force worked with her, boosting her speed. She followed Kendra as her path was not just burned into her vision but revealed to her through the Force.

Kendra did not say anything more, just looped around and headed back towards the huts. Leia followed, and they weaved like dancers between the trees as they made their way through the swamp. Leia felt like she spent more time in the air as she jumped then she spent on the ground running.

When they made it back to the huts, Leia unstrapped her living backpack and sat down on the ground, panting. She was wearing a gray tank top and loose pants, courtesy of Kendra. Speaking of, even she seemed tired from their run.

After she had caught her breath, Kendra spoke. "You have great natural shields," She praised. "I had thought you weren't as strong in the Force as yo... as you are. As soon as you reached for it, though, you lit up like a star."

"What does that mean?" Leia asked.

"Learn to shield you must, and learn it well. If the Emperor learns of your power, eliminate you he will," Yoda said.

"Yes," Kendra agreed. "Much potential, you have much potential. The Sith would seek only to corrupt or kill you, more likely the later."

"How do I shield?" Leia asked.

"Easy to say it is not. Yes, easier to see it is." Yoda said.

Kendra smiled, "That's one way to put it. Just do what I say. Close your eyes, clear your thoughts as best you can."

Leia closed her eyes, and tried to focus on nothing. It was weird to try and not focus on anything. Her thoughts were usually full of concerns for the Alliance and the thin line her family balanced on with the Empire. She pushed that out of her head first.

She let in the sounds, smells, and feeling of the swamp. She them in and out with her breath. After a while of this, Kendra told her to reach out with the Force. Leia added this to the other sensations that she focused on without focusing on them. The Jedi in the clearing drew her attention, the swamp was light, but there was also darkness that clung somewhere in the edges of her perception. The two Jedi were bright and seemingly untouched by darkness. They drew her attention like a moth to a flame.

Leia passed over them as well, and reached a state of light meditation.

"Good," Kendra said, not wishing to push her out but also needing to communicate with her. "Focus on me now," She ordered.

Leia drew her attention to Kendra, who dropped her shields. A feeling of peace washed over Leia, and she knew that this is what Kendra was feeling. After the peace, there was another, darker emotion. Her brightness was stained with worry, but for what Leia did not know.

Then, Kendra's light formed around her again, but slowly. Leia saw her cloak her emotions in the Force, using it's passive energy to hide her own. Then Kendra added another layer that had not been there before. It slowly enveloped her and Leia's probing passed through her. She could sense her, but she was not as bright as she had been, and was just as bright as any other life form of her own size.

Leia opened her eyes. "That was impressive! If a Jedi could do that, how could anyone ever find them?" She asked.

"A master of shielding Kendra is. Years of training it takes," Yoda pointed out. "Not so skilled other Jedi are."

"Also," Kendra added, "It is difficult to maintain that level of shielding for any amount of time, especially when concentrating on other tasks. It is impractical unless you want to spend all your time in a state of meditation. You only need to hide enough of your presence that it seems like you are only a latent Force sensitive, or at least so you don't draw too much attention to yourself."

"Okay," Leia said. She focused on herself, and tried to use the Force to conceal herself. She ended up just pulling the light towards herself, but Kendra shook her head. Leia's eyes were closed, but she still sensed that motion through the Force.

"You are only making yourself more noticeable. Let the Force flow through you, let it all wash away."

Leia attempted it several more times before she was finally able to hide herself somewhat. Kendra told her that she just had to get the hang of it, as long as she knew what she was doing, she could practice it by herself.

Several more days passed by. A lot of it was physical exercises, and Leia quickly got stronger, though she went to sleep each night with aching muscles. She also got more accustomed to using the Force and meditating.

Every day, she learned something new. She worked on shielding, using the Force to help with her endurance, and also how to detect danger. Kendra also had her practice sword fighting with a stick, telling her that one day she was going to build her own lightsaber. Leia trained hard, but it was also a break from her other worries.


	7. Hatchlings

Luke Skywalker had been at the Rebel base for three days. It wasn't an action-filled adventure like he'd thought he would have as soon as he left Tatooine. It was a quieter sort of adventure. Just being on an alien planet itself was an adventure, he could never get bored of the trees and the plants and the birds, but especially not the water.

On Yavin IV, almost everything was wet. In the mornings even the grass would glisten with dew, and Luke had even seen a stream behind the base. It was small to people who had grown up around water, but he spent an entire afternoon just watching it, and splashing in it. He couldn't believe that all that water was just _there_ and more importantly, it was nobody's.

While Luke was in awe of his surroundings, Han was amazed by the ordinary things that Luke thought were fascinating. He and Chewie had spent a lot of time with Luke, playing holochess and talking. Han had been _everywhere_ , or at least Luke's definition of everywhere. Luke didn't really understand what Chewbacca was saying most of the time, but Han translated and Luke could occasionally distinguish what he was trying to say by his tone.

Luke had also seen Artoo and Threepio around a lot. The princess to which they had belonged had been captured by the Empire, so they had nothing to do until she escaped. Obi-wan had reassured them that she would be all right, and Luke did not question him in this. He had decided that Artoo was his favorite of the two. Threepio's incessant worrying got annoying sometimes, but if Artoo ever whined, Luke could not understand him anyway.

Obi-wan had let Luke adjust, but he had still pulled him aside to teach him new things about the Force. Learning about the Force was like discovering a new planet, Luke had decided. Except the Force was in everyone, everything. Obi-wan had tried getting him to meditate, but Luke wasn't interested in sitting still and not even thinking.

The most fun thing that Obi-wan had taught him was how to levitate objects. He could only lift small things, and not for long, but just being able to do it was really cool. He really wanted to be a Jedi when he grew up, a Jedi like his father.

He wished his room had a window. It was night, so there wasn't much to see outside, but Luke wanted to look at the stars. They comforted him, glittery silver reminders that there was something out there, beyond Tatooine. He wondered if this was what he had been longing for. There was still the threat presented by the Empire, after all. Or was that what made it a true adventure?

He rolled over in his cot, and looked at the ceiling. He wondered what his Aunt and Uncle would think of Yavin. He couldn't imagine Uncle Owen approving of anything, but his Aunt would be happy just to see him happy. His grip on his blanket tightened. He didn't have either of them anymore, but he missed them. More than that, he needed them. Luke shook that thought away. He was fourteen, not five.

Luke looked over at the egg on the opposite cot. It hadn't moved since Obi-wan had left it there, and Luke had been distracted enough by the environment that he had not paid it any attention. He barely even thought of it. He did not think it would hatch for him. Besides, his Uncle had told him he wouldn't be responsible enough to take care of a pet. A dragon was no mere pet.

Luke sighed and shut his eyes. He was tired, tired of the the newness of everything, and tired of thinking about it. He just wanted to sleep and deal with it all in the morning.

Before he even began to drift off, he heard a muffled squeak. His eyes shot open and he sat up. The only thing in the room capable of making a noise like that was the egg. Luke stared at it. "Did you do that?" he asked sleepily.

If the egg was able to respond, it didn't. It sat where it was, completely silent and still. Luke considered going to get Obi-wan, or even bringing the egg to him. Obi-wan hadn't told him what to do if it hatched, he just put it in his room hoping that it would. He chose to wait and see what happened before he would do anything.

Then there was another loud squeak, and the egg wobbled a little. It was the egg, there was no denying it anymore. It was going to hatch. A dragon's egg was going to hatch _for him_. Some part of him couldn't believe it, another had expected it all along but didn't know what it meant, exactly. Whether or not he believed it was real, it was happening.

The squeaking grew louder, and the egg wobbled a bit more before a large crack appeared in the center of the egg. The crack was not one line, it looked more like a window that had been struck by a rock but didn't break. The smooth perfection of the egg was ruined by this blemish, but the dragon wasn't going to stay in it's egg forever anyway.

The cracks spread, and with one final effort from the creature inside, it split open. A blue wing emerged first, then a tiny clawed hand griped the edge of the egg, and the hatchling crawled out of the remains of it's egg.

Luke marveled at the majestic creature. It was just as blue as it's egg, a deep sapphire blue like Luke imagined a lake might look like. The dragon was the size of a small cat, and had tiny white spikes along it's back. Luke got up out of bed, and dragon looked at him. He saw it's bright purple eyes, but after a quick glance it looked away, dismissively.

He reached towards it but as soon as he brushed it's wing, he pulled his hand back as if he had been shocked. He looked at his hand as a shiny mark appeared on his palm. That was not all, it was like his mind had been opened, and on the other side... Hunger and curiosity.

It might have been a scary feeling, but Luke had gotten used to using the Force and it wasn't much more different than that. Except when the hatchling looked at him and brushed his mind back, curious.

Luke touched it again, cautiously this time, but nothing happened. The dragon looked at his hand as he pet it. It's scales were smooth like stone but warmer, and a bit wet, too. It's wings were leathery and delicate. It explored the cot, it's legs shaky.

Luke would have stood there for longer, just watching it, but it was hungry. He carefully picked it up, and walked over to the door. It was fine in his arms, but when the door slid open with a hiss, the hatchling jumped, momentarily surprised. Luke smiled at the look on it's face.

He went to Obi-wan's room, with the hatchling looking at everything he passed. The Rebels that he passed stared back at it, some in awe, some in surprise. Many actually smiled, but nobody stopped him.

When he got to Obi-wan's room, the hatchling was already asleep. It did wake up at the noise of the door, though.

"What do you nee- Oh." Obi-wan said, noticing the dragon in his arms.

The dragon looked up at Obi-wan, then grumbled hungrily.

Obi-wan grabbed Luke's right hand and glanced at the swirl mark that was on his palm with relief "Good," Obi-wan mumbled to himself.

"What does it mean?" Luke asked him.

"It's the mark of a Rider," Obi-wan explained.

Luke nodded as if he understood, but he didn't really. "It's hungry," He told Obi-wan.

"She," Obi-wan corrected.

"She's hungry," Luke said. "What do dragons eat?"

"Meat," Obi-wan replied. "Dragons are omnivores, but they prefer to eat meat. At any age."

Luke nodded and Obi-wan signaled for Luke to follow him. They went to the base's kitchen, where Luke got some meat to feed the ravenous dragon.

"They don't do much more than eat and sleep when they are young, but they grow up fast," Obi-wan told him.

"I don't know about all of this," Luke said. "I mean, it's a big responsibility and everything-"

"Luke," Obi-wan interrupted, "You are destined to be this dragon's Rider. She chose you for a reason... Of course it's a big responsibility, but trust me, it's worth it."

Luke felt a wave of emotion. There was a bit of regret, he couldn't go back to Tatooine or anywhere else, it wouldn't be safe for a dragon. Some fear, too, he knew there were powerful people that would seek to hurt or capture them. A part of him, however, didn't see this as the end of something but the beginning. He had wanted to be a Jedi, but now he could be a Rider as well. Maybe, just maybe, they could actually help in the fight against the Empire.

(***)

The Death Star's purpose was to destroy planets and to be used as a threat to keep more worlds from joining the Rebellion. Darth Vader was not impressed by it's capabilities, especially since they had discovered the flaw in it's design. It was not easy to destroy, but not difficult either, for a good pilot.

"Alderaan is a peaceful world! My people have done no wrong!" Bail Organa protested.

Darth Vader stood behind Grand Moff Tarkin as he demanded the location of the Rebel base from him. The man had proven resistant to interrogation. Tarkin was hoping that another method would work.

Bail Organa knew the location of the Rebel base, of that Vader was sure. He either did not realize how much Vader needed to find the base, or he knew and thought he could resist. Of course, Organa's daughter was most likely on that base and so in order for him to save his planet, he needed to sacrifice her.

Vader doubted that Bail would make that trade. He even doubted that the destruction of an entire planet would be enough to quench his rage.

"Done no wrong? Your daughter stole from the Emperor himself! If I were to have another target, perhaps your people would not have to take the blame," Tarkin said, though Vader could tell he was lying.

Bail saw it too. He had realized that this wasn't just about the base, or the egg either. Alderaan was going to be an example to the rest of the galaxy, and other planets that might want to rebel. In addition to that, the Rebels had sneaked onto Imperial Center and stolen one of the Emperor's most important belongings. If the Empire did not get their revenge, it would be a sign of weakness.

' _It is not right,_ ' Asthordmak said. ' _To destroy an entire planet... It is a waste._ '

' _I agree,_ ' Vader replied silently. Alderaan may have had leaders who were members of the Rebellion, but their citizens were innocent of any crime. Besides, destroying a planet could just make people more convinced that the Empire was evil.

"If you destroy Alderaan, more planets shall turn to the Alliance for their freedom." Bail Organa threatened.

"Now you are showing your true colors, but I'm sorry to say that it will not save your planet." Tarkin turned away, looking out the window to see Alderaan, a peaceful orb against the darkness of space. "You may fire-"

"Wait!" Organa said, "Dantooine. The Rebel base is on Dantooine."

Vader needed to know the location of the Rebel base, would have destroyed ten more Alderaans for the name of the single planet he was looking for. Bail Organa had not lied, but he had not told the truth either. He was willing to say anything to save his planet except the truth.

"See, Vader, I knew he could be reasonable." Tarkin said. Tarkin was a fool to think that Bail Organa would give in so easily.

"You may fire when ready," Tarkin ordered.

"I already told you the location of the base!" He exclaimed. "You cannot do this!"

Tarkin grinned, full of pride for his weapon. "With this, the Empire can do anything! We are unstoppable."

A green beam shot from the Death Star towards Alderaan. For a moment the room was silent, except for Darth Vader's own breathing. Then the planet exploded, and Organa turned away.

Two Stormtroopers led him out, and Vader turned to Tarkin. "Do not be so sure of yourself, Tarkin. You know as well as I do that this weapon is not invincible."

"The flaw will be corrected as soon as possible. I'm sure we can protect it from a few starfighters until then." Tarkin replied with confidence.

"I hope you are right," Vader growled. His master would be displeased if Vader failed him, he was treading on thin ice already.


	8. Princesses

Kendra hit Leia in the shoulder, and while she was still reacting to that, she hit her in the side. Leia backed away and got back in her stance. They were only fighting with sticks, and Kendra softened the blows as much as possible, but it still _hurt_. Not that Leia was complaining. She had hit Kendra a few times, but not nearly as much as she had been hit.

Leia locked eyes with Kendra. She was trying to pay attention to both her and the Force. Sometimes Leia could feel it and use it well, but other times she couldn't. Yoda and Kendra assured her that this was common for beginners.

Kendra was waiting for her to make a move, but Leia knew Kendra would be able to predict any she might make. Kendra shifted her footing and Leia raised her sword. Suddenly, Kendra swung low and Leia tried to block but failed.

"Might want to consider backing up a bit when an opponent goes low." Kendra advised.

Leia raised her sword, but copied Kendra's swing from earlier. Kendra opted to dodge rather than block, but immediately stepped in again and hit Leia's shoulder while her balance was off.

"Why do you always aim for my shoulders?" Leia asked as she blocked another flurry of attacks from Kendra.

"I'm used to fighting with a lightsaber," Kendra explained. "Chopping off your opponent's limbs is messy but it does the job."

Leia nodded, she was glad they were fighting with sticks and not real lightsabers, though the sticks were heavier than the real things. Kendra said it was better that way, because it would help her build endurance.

Kendra was fighting offensively, and Leia was on the defensive. Kendra was a bit rusty after having nobody to fight with for fourteen years, and Leia had never tried to sword fight before.

Kendra stopped her attack and told Leia to get back in her stance. "Use the Force. Let it guide you. It won't teach you everything, but it helps," Kendra instructed.

"I'm more of a blaster person," Leia replied, but she did try to focus.

"Help you a blaster will not, against a Sith," Yoda told her. He watched over Leia's training, and commented when he felt it was necessary. Kendra let him instruct her in silence, but when it was her turn Yoda interrupted frequently. Leia knew that she was the first apprentice that Kendra had ever had.

Kendra shrugged. "A blaster is not a bad weapon, but it is not as good as a blade, which can be used as both a weapon and a shield. And, of course, 'sabers are Jedi weapons."

Leia frowned. She was still unsure if she wanted to be a Jedi. She was a senator, the youngest that Alderaan had ever had, and also a princess. On top of all of that, she was a Rebel. She had a lot on her plate already. She had come to learn the way of the Jedi, but that was so she could serve her people better. So that, when it came down to it, she could defend herself and others.

Leia saw that Kendra had dropped her guard, so she leaped forward and almost scored a hit across her midsection, but Kendra had sensed this move before she tried it, and she deflected the blow. "Not one for honor, I take it?" Kendra asked.

"More like a surprise attack," Leia replied, smiling.

Kendra wiped that grin off her her face with a flurry of blows that had Leia backing away to the other side of the clearing. Leia tried to put in a few hits herself, but they only made it easier for Kendra to hit her.

Kendra was still holding back, Leia knew. She knew that because there were plenty of times when she could have easily hit Leia, but hit her stick instead.

Kendra swung her stick down, and Leia blocked it easily, but Kendra's stick broke when it hit Leia's. She looked at the broken stick it her hand. "It was such a lovely stick, too," Kendra complained sarcastically.

"There are plenty of other sticks in the trees," Leia consoled her.

Kendra smiled. "Well, guess we're done with that for now."

"Meditate both of you should," Yoda suggested.

Leia sat down and closed her eyes. Before she could begin, Kendra tapped her and she opened them again, looking up at the woman quizzically. "Yes?"

"You will be meditating differently this time," Kendra explained. Then she stood on both her hands and closed her eyes. She wobbled a little, but did not fall.

"But what is the point of meditating like that?" Leia asked.

"Mastery of the Force requires mastery of self," Kendra said, standing back up on her own two legs. "And when you are in balance with yourself, you will be with your surroundings as well."

Leia understood, so she attempted a handstand. It was harder than it looked, but she managed after a few attempts.

Leia Organa knew who she was. She was a politician. A Rebel. Senator-princess of Alderaan- she fell.

Then she tried again. She just let the force wash over her. It was easier to do that then try to control it. She was Leia Organa. Daughter of Bail Organa- She wobbled a little. What was wrong with it? She was part of the Rebel Alliance, she fought against the tyranny of the Empire. She wobbled again. The Empire...

She was the princess of- She hadn't even thought of Alderaan's name before she fell. She didn't even bother to stand up on her hands again. What was wrong with her father? What was wrong with her planet? There was no response from the Force. It was empty.

Leia shook herself. She should get back to her meditation. Standing on her hands again, she tried to clear her mind. But something nagged at her. _The Empire_ , something whispered. They were... Leia opened her eyes and sat up, heart racing.

"The Empire," She said, looking over to Kendra who had been meditating next to her.

"What?" Kendra asked, looking surprised.

"The Empire-Vader-They're coming here. I saw it. We need to leave immediately." Leia said quickly.

Kendra's eyes widened. Leia had told her of what Anakin had become. She did not think she could fight him, and she didn't want to put Leia at risk either.

"We need to leave then. Are you _sure_?" Kendra asked.

"Yes," Leia replied.

Kendra ran to Yoda's hut, just as he stepped out the door.

"Heard her I did," Yoda said. "Right she is. Leave both of you should."

Kendra shook her head. "Aren't you coming with?"

Yoda looked away. "Old I am. Know this, you do. Come my time has. The will of the Force-"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Kendra replied. "There's no reason to stay here."

Yoda turned his back on her. "Much to learn you have."

Kendra stood outside his door, looking lost. Leia grabbed her arm. "We got to go," She said.

Kendra didn't move.

"We have to go!" Leia said, urgency in her tone.

When Kendra didn't reply, Leia started to drag her away from Yoda's hut. Kendra finally spoke up. "It's this way," She said, grabbing Leia's hand and pulling her in the direction of the ship.

(***)

When the Devastator got out of hyperspace, the ship was already flying away from the planet. A well-known presence told Vader exactly how the princess had known that he was coming. Yoda. So, he lived. That would not be the case for very long.

Several squadrons of TIE fighters poured out of the Devastator, and started towards the stolen ship. They were not aiming to destroy it, or to catch it. One of the TIE fighters managed to hit the ship, shooting it with normal blaster fire to conceal the fact that it had attached a tracker.

The ship went into hyperspace, and when it got to it's destination it would bring the Imperial Fleet with it as well. The only question that he had was what a Rebel was doing on the same uninhabited world as a Jedi Master. He had felt a little bit of the Force in the princess, but it hadn't mattered when they had caught her, she was not going to live long anyway.

Regardless, he would still have to deal with Yoda. The tiny green Jedi was wise to run and hide, but not wise enough to leave the planet apparently.

Vader stalked out of the bridge, and he could feel the relief when he did. He had strangled... Well, he wasn't sure how many people he had killed in the last week but it was more than usual. They were all lucky that the mission had been a success, even if they had no idea how long it would stay that way.

He went to his personal hangar where he knew Asthordmak was waiting for him. There would be guards posted in their absence, usually Asthordmak was all the security needed in the Dragon Hold but without him... Darth Vader did not make the same mistake twice, not when he could avoid it.

When Vader went somewhere without Asthordmak, he had a pilot fly for him. Only he had ever flown his Jedi-class transport, and that was not about to change. He landed in the clearing that he was drawn to by Yoda's Force presence. There were two huts in that clearing, Yoda was standing outside the smaller one that was clearly his, but the other one was empty. At least, Vader sensed that it was empty.

Vader stepped out and walked towards the miniature Jedi, and Asthordmak followed him silently, stealthy despite his size.

"Find anything here, you will not," Yoda told him. The Jedi had not aged well. He was around 900, Vader knew, but it had only been fourteen years.

' _We found you,_ ' Asthordmak projected. Sometimes Asthordmak was a mystery even to Vader. This was one of those times. He did not know how Asthordmak felt on this matter. He did not have a hatred for all Jedi, and he saw hunting them down as his duty.

"Yet seek me out you did not. Yes, another you came for. The princess." Yoda said.

"We have already gotten what we came for," Vader said. They may have already put the tracker on the princess's ship- No, not hers, _Padmé's ship,_ he reminded himself- but that does not mean that they did not have another purpose for being there. "There is no reason to leave you alive."

' _Your apprentice. She left, didn't she?_ ' Asthordmak asked. They both knew her, even if they hadn't been that close. She was apprenticed to Yoda because of her instability, she had been Sidious's apprentice once. She was not good at anything in particular, besides her uncanny ability to shield herself almost completely. She was not important, but Sidious still wanted her dead.

"Matter, does it?" Yoda asked.

Asthordmak growled. ' _Another Jedi on the loose. Just what we needed._ '

Vader had to agree. They had accounted for most of the Jedi and since Obi-wan's dragon was dead, all of the dragons as well. It was annoying how 'most of the Jedi' didn't include any of the irritating ones.

"Bothered you before having Jedi to kill has not," Yoda said.

"You know why I am... distracted." Vader snarled.

' _Hatchling snatcher,_ ' Asthordmak accused.

"For his protection it was," Yoda said evenly. "A good parent you would not have been, too immersed in the Dark Side you are. Let it control you, you do."

Asthordmak growled and stepped forward, lowering his head so he was eye to eye with him. ' _How_ dare _you?_ '

"Kidnapping. You attempt to justify _kidnapping._ " Vader stated, drawing his lightsaber.

He sliced through Yoda, but instead of cutting into him the old Jedi disappeared, leaving only his clothing.

Vader looked at the small pile, shocked. He had killed many Jedi, but none of them had done anything like that. Asthordmak looked at the pile. ' _Not much is known about his species. It could be a common trait,_ ' He speculated.

"I doubt it," Vader replied.

Asthordmak considered the huts for a moment, and then he blew flame over them and turned away.

* * *

 **May the 4th be with you~**


	9. Siblings

**This is, by far, my favorite chapter. Please enjoy, I spent a lot of time on it, and it wouldn't be half as good if it were not for my mom.**

* * *

Leia and Kendra had escaped easily, almost too easily. They had been hit, Leia suspected that it had been by a tracker but maybe, just maybe... It wasn't. It could just have been the fact that they hadn't stuck around that long. Whatever it was, they had made it to hyperspace.

While they were still near the Star Destroyer, near _Vader_ , Kendra had shielded herself and Leia. Of course, it didn't matter much, but Leia suspected that Kendra just liked shielding. It was true, it gave her something easy to distract herself with that required a lot of concentration.

For the entire journey, they had both been silent, and they were halfway to the base. They had left Yoda on Dagobah. That fact weighed heavily on both of them, Kendra for losing her closest friend, and Leia because she didn't know how to comfort her.

"Are you okay?" Leia asked, feeling the need to break the silence before it drove her insane.

Kendra shook her head. "He could have come with. There was no reason for him to not to."

"You told me once he was the wisest Jedi," Leia said, "he must have had a reason. Maybe he knew you were ready to leave him."

"Yeah but-" Kendra sighed. "I knew he wasn't going to be my master forever. I can make it on my own... But it's one thing to leave someone, it's another thing to leave someone to die."

Leia looked away, wondering how she should reply to that. Yoda had obviously been important to her.

Kendra seemed to pick up on her thoughts. "Yoda helped me through some dark times. You see, I used to be a Sith apprentice- well, not really, just an expendable tool..."

Leia frowned, a Sith? She could almost see it, though. She wondered if that was what Kendra worried about, sinking back into the Dark Side.

"I ended up as his apprentice instead. He takes some getting used to, but he always knows the solution to every problem. I think the Jedi purge wouldn't have happened if they had just listened to him."

"How did you end up as his apprentice?" Leia asked.

"Well," Kendra said, "The Jedi didn't kill people unless they had to. They didn't know what to do with a repentant Sith, and they felt that I would be to dangerous to lock away, so they decided to train me instead."

"So, you were then apprenticed to Yoda," Leia finished.

"I guess so," Kendra replied. "The Jedi were kind of nice. Strict too, but nice. I always wished that their philosophies could be practiced without having to serve the order, and I think I got my wish."

"...What is the Jedi way?" Leia asked. It was a question she had wanted to ask Yoda, but hadn't.

"Keeping the peace, killing the bad guys," Kendra explained. "You can dress it up if you so choose, but that's what they did. I was a Sith once, I don't see in black and white, just lighter and darker shades of gray."

"I heard there were diplomats and healers, not just warriors," Leia said.

Kendra laughed at that. "All the Jedi could fight. Some just didn't specialize in it."

After that, the silence was a more comfortable one. They both were thinking of the Jedi. Kendra remembered all the things that had amused her, seeing the Jedi from the eyes of an outsider. Leia wondered what they had really been like. 'Noble heroes, defenders of everything right and sacred' just didn't fit anymore. Or perhaps the only way to have peace was to fight to keep it. The Jedi had lost that fight, Leia would make sure the Rebellion didn't.

(***)

Luke had found that having a baby dragon was less of a problem then he had expected. It didn't like to be left alone _at all_ , so he ended up carrying it most of the time, it needed to eat constantly, and everyone wanted to stop him so they could gawk at her, but even with all of that, it was still pretty easy to take care of.

She wandered around in the grass, while Luke trained with Obi-wan. That day, Obi-wan had decided to practice sword fighting. There was a way to make it so that a lightsaber did not do any permanent damage when it hit. Only Obi-wan could do it, he had to use the Force to mess with the lightsaber internally, and it was too dangerous for Luke to even try.

Obi-wan taught him how to block before he taught him to attack. He told him that he wouldn't be able to fight anyone if he had no limbs. So Obi-wan would strike, Luke would block. They went fairly slow, with Luke looking away every few moments to make sure that the hatchling was okay.

Luke had not yet given a name to the dragon, Obi-wan told him that dragons usually had a say in their own naming, and while Luke found that odd, he couldn't complain. It just meant he had more time to think of one.

The hatchling got bored of wandering around in the grass, and watched them as they fought. Luke failed to block correctly and got hit in the leg. The dragon growled at Obi-wan, who looked amused at the response. When Luke managed to strike a glancing blow to Obi-wan's shoulder, she chirped happily.

"I think you have a fan," Obi-wan remarked.

"I'm afraid this isn't much of a show," Luke replied.

Sword fighting was a lot harder then it looked. It was easy to swing a laser sword at someone like a baseball bat, but hard to do that when the other person also had a sword.

Luke blocked another hit, but then saw something over Obi-wan's shoulder. "Hey, who's that?"

Obi-wan looked over and saw a familiar Nubian Yacht. He frowned, reaching his senses out towards the ship. There was a single Force signature, a light one. "Princess Leia," Obi-wan replied.

"The princess?" Luke asked. "Can I go meet her?"

Obi-wan smiled, "Of course." He wondered if he should tell them. It felt wrong to not tell them, but it would be risky. If Luke knew, and Vader managed to find him...

Luke scooped his dragon up and headed for the ship. The ramp lowered, and two people exited. One of them was the princess, and the other was a blonde young woman. The first thing he noticed about her was the lightsaber on her belt.

When the princess saw him, she looked at his dragon with a look of surprise and then smiled. The other woman stared at the dragon in his arms with a look of sadness.

"Hello," Luke said awkwardly.

"It made it," Leia said, smiling, with a look of disbelief.

"She," Luke corrected.

The hatchling blinked up at them lazily before crawling up Luke's shirt and perching on his shoulder.

"She," Leia said.

"I'm Luke-Luke Skywalker." He said.

"Nice to met you, Luke. I'm Leia. I see the egg has hatched." Leia said.

"Yes... Thanks." Luke replied, then he looked to the older woman. "And who are you?"

"I'm Kendra," Kendra replied. "A... Jedi."

Obi-wan walked up to them, smiling as he noticed Kendra. "Long time no see," He said.

"Where is Kisenth?" Kendra asked with a frown. "I do not sense him."

Obi-wan felt a wave of fresh sorrow at the mention of his name. "He's..." The pause lasted as Obi-wan struggled to find the words.

"I'm so sorry," Kendra said, her apology was sincere at least.

"Well, I'm glad you got away," Luke said. "How did you do it?"

"I had a little help," Leia replied, looking at Obi-wan.

"It was nothing," Obi-wan insisted.

Luke and Kendra looked between the two of them, confused. The dragon on Luke's shoulder chirped, annoyed at the lack of attention being paid to her. "I gotta go," Luke said. "The dragon is hungry."

With the princess back with the Rebels, everything should have been fine. The first thing she wanted to do now that she was back was send a message to her father. There was some sort of technical problem however, and so she waited outside for Alliance Technical Support to get back to her on what the problem was.

It wasn't boring, Luke, the kid that the egg had hatched for, had kept her company, and the weather was lovely. Kendra had gone off to talk with Obi-wan. Leia knew a lot of the Rebel leaders, but she had never been to the base before. She was glad to have someone her own age to talk with.

While they were waiting, another kid, a little bit older than her but not by much she guessed, walked up to them. "Hey, who're you?"

"I am Leia Organa. And you are?" She asked.

"Han Solo," he said. He opened his mouth to say more, but Mon Mothma cleared her throat and they all turned to her.

"May I speak to you in private," She asked. "I have some... upsetting news."

Leia's eyes widened. If Mon Mothma herself was acting as messenger, then it must really be bad news. "What's wrong? Is it my father? Did something happen to him?"

"It's not just him," Mon Mothma said. "It concerns... Well, all of Alderaan."

"No..." Leia said. "They- They couldn't have!" She protested.

"We are all shocked," Mon Mothma replied. "It was an unprovoked attack. I'm- I'm sorry."

Alderaan had been destroyed. Her parents were gone. Her planet was demolished. Her people had been murdered. Everything she had worked for. She hadn't become a senator for nothing, nor had it been easy. There was no senate anymore, no Alderaan to represent.

No Alderaan. The Empire had destroyed _everything_. Her hands clenched into fists. The Empire. Where her home had been, there was an empty hole. Alderaan had been her heart. Her reason, for everything. To end the Empire's cruelty... It had been for _Alderaan_.

Leia Organa would get her revenge.

"Are you okay?" Luke's concern was sincere. He didn't know what it was like to lose a planet, and he never wanted to.

"I-" She thought about it. Was she okay? No, she was not. She would never be 'okay,' not until the Empire was destroyed. But... "I'm fine. I'll be fine." _But they won't._

As if that all wasn't bad enough, a Rebel ran up to them, panting. "Mon Mothma, they've found us."

(***)

"Master," Vader started, as soon as the Emperor's face appeared.

"What is it, Lord Vader?" The Emperor asked. He preferred to contact Vader himself- not the other way around. The Emperor already knew how this conversation would play out, but it was a necessary conversation still.

"We are at the Rebel base. The egg and the boy are with them." Darth Vader said.

"Yes, I am aware," The Emperor replied, letting his irritation seep into his voice.

"Tarkin wishes to destroy the base," Vader said. He had no problem destroying the Rebels once and for all, but he did not desire to do so with the children on the base. He had murdered children before, but not _his_ , not really.

The Emperor smiled, a fake smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Today is the end of the Rebellion, and no... _Personal_ _quests._.. will get in the way of that."

"Yes, Master," Vader hissed.

"Protect the Death Star's weakness," The Emperor ordered. "And do not fail me."

"It will be done," Vader replied, and he ended the transmission quickly, almost rudely.

' _You are not going to do that Anakin,_ ' Asthordmak said immediately, before he had even stood up. It was a question, an order, and a statement all at once. It was not one that was necessarily true.

Vader was furious as he headed for the hangar. At his master, at himself, at Obi-wan, and at the princess for bringing the egg to _Tatooine_ of all places. He was angry at the situation this put him in, too. He could let the Death Star blow another planet up, and it would end the Rebellion, and he could find a different way to overthrow the Emperor.

He was getting old, and Vader would soon surpass him. It would be easy. He had already let his wife and child die once, he could let it happen yet again. He could do it, he should do it, he _would_ do it, because there was no other way, his master wouldn't let him do anything else.

Vader had hoped that he could get Luke back, teach him how to use the Force, and overthrow his master. He should have known that that could never have happened.

' _You cannot let our children_ **die**.' Asthordmak growled.

' _I cannot disobey my master._ ' Vader replied. ' _We will find another way._ '

Asthordmak was silent, but fuming with rage. Vader pushed him out. Let him be mad. Asthordmak was the only one that was able to survive being close to Vader. He would be angry, but at least he was _alive_.

When Vader entered the hangar, however, Asthordmak was waiting for him. He stood between him and his TIE advanced with his fangs bared in a snarl.

"Get out of my way," Vader said.

Asthordmak stalked over to him until Darth Vader was looking directly into one of Asthordmak's piercing blue eyes. ' _I will not let you aid in the destruction of my child. You may have your delusions, and I may put up with them, but this is too far Anakin._ '

"I am not the one suffering from delusions," Vader growled.

' _There is no time to argue about this. I chose you for a reason, Anakin-_ ' Vader stepped around him. "That is not my name anymore."

Asthordmak knocked Vader to the ground with the swipe of a paw, and held him there, glaring down at him. ' _YOUR SON IS DOWN THERE. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!_ ' Asthordmak yelled, his words tearing into Vader's mind in a storm of rage, frustration, and pain. The words were punctuated by his snarling.

"He is the son of Anakin Skywalker," Vader replied, reaching out with the Force to push the furious dragon off of himself. Asthordmak pushed back. With a dragon's support, a Rider could do things far beyond the scope of a dozen well-trained Jedi. Even _Yoda_ would've had trouble competing with a Rider. When a dragon was against you, even if you were a Sith Lord... Well, Vader had fought against dragons without Asthordmak's aid before, and it was possible to beat them, but Asthordmak knew him too well.

' _You_ are _Anakin Skywalker. He is_ **your** _son. He is_ Padmé's _son._ ' Asthordmak's eyes drilled into him. ' _I'm not letting you go,_ Vader, _not until you give me my Rider back._ '

Darth Vader stopped struggling. Asthordmak had never called him Vader before. He had let his dragon call him Anakin. It did not matter to him, usually. Asthordmak didn't see the distinction, and though Vader was a Sith, even his master had no problems, or at least did not voice any, with his attachment to Asthordmak.

Asthordmak had questioned his judgment many times. There had never been that dread emanating from across their link, Vader had never thought of their arguments as something that they couldn't recover from. Asthordmak was mad at him, but he could tell that this time the dragon was breaking inside.

' _Please Anakin... Come back._ ' Asthordmak pleaded. He wasn't growling anymore, he was just a dragon, paw resting on his Rider's chest, the raging storm was inside their minds.

Vader had lost everything important to him except his dragon, every _one._ In that moment, he realized that he was about to lose everything that was left. Not just his own child, Padmé's child, _their_ child, but he was also going to lose his dragon as well. There was... something indescribable there. He had already lost so much. Darth Vader had learned that it wasn't something that you could become accustomed to.

' _Asthordmak..._ ' He murmured, resting one hand on his dragon's snout.

Asthordmak slowly backed off of him, letting Vader get to his feet. He felt the dragon's worries wash away into... _Pride._

' _Save our children_ ,' he ordered with a growl. His anger wasn't directed at Vader this time. The two were in agreement once again. Nobody was going to hurt their children.


	10. Conclusion

**This is the final chapter for this fanfic. There may be a sequel (or a prequel), but I don't when. Enjoy ;**

* * *

Vader knelt before the Emperor yet again. The chains that bound him to this odious man chafed, but he wasn't ready to kill him... not yet, at least.

The one way in which this was different than many of the other times he had knelt before his master was that it was in person, and Asthordmak was with him. He did not go to Imperial Center just to speak to the Emperor often, but the Death Star had been a major failure, and not only had Vader been charged with it's safety, he had been the only Imperial pilot there to survive. None of the Rebels had seen who fired the shot either. Only he knew who had destroyed the Death Star, him... and Asthordmak. Even the Rebels didn't know.

The Emperor had been content to let him kneel. It was a petty punishment, but one that he knew grated on Vader's nerves.

"How was the Death Star destroyed?" Darth Sidious asked suddenly. He was not turned towards Vader, he had stood up from his throne and was facing away from him.

"It's design flaw was exploited," Vader replied. He had to be careful what he said, how he phrased his responses. He could get away with blowing up the Empire's project, he just had to be cautious. It was worth it, he thought.

"Did you see who did it?" The Emperor asked. "Who blew up the Death Star?"

"Yes, Master. It was a pilot. I killed him," He answered honestly. The Emperor turned to face him, and Vader could sense that he was surprised at his honesty. It was not true honesty, just a half-truth. Anakin Skywalker had been a pilot, and Darth Vader had killed him.

The Emperor was surprised because he had expected it to have been Vader himself, yet the Force told him that his apprentice was not lying. That did not mean, however, that Vader had defended the Death Star to the best of his ability.

"You have disappointed me, Lord Vader," Sidious snarled. "I want you to find the Rebels and wipe them out, once and for all, if you can manage that."

"What shall I do about the boy and his dragon?" Vader asked, ignoring Sidious's if. Intel had found out that yes, the dragon egg had hatched for Luke Skywalker. It was a race against time now to capture them before they were too powerful to be captured.

"Bring them to me," Sidious replied. "I will deal with them myself."

"I will," Vader said. He would, and he would bring them to his master. Asthordmak growled in agreement behind him.

(***)

As the Rebels celebrated the destruction of the Death Star, they had assumed that the pilot who had destroyed it had passed. Han Solo let them. When he chose to turn back, to help the Rebels, he had seen a TIE advanced fire that last shot, but he kept that to himself. He knew that morals were more than black and white, but he doubted the Rebels did.


End file.
